


Accidental Reverse

by Yara_Meijer



Series: Accidental Reverse Universe [1]
Category: Inazuma Eleven, Inazuma Eleven GO
Genre: Angst, Common Sense, Common Sense is Rare™, Crazy Tenma, Drama, Everyone Is A Drama Queen, Fifth Sector, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hilarity Ensues, Humor, Hurt Tenma, Insanity ensues, Keshin, News Media, Out of Character, Overprotective Raimon, Protective Raimon, Protective Shindou Takuto, Protective Tsurugi Kyousuke, Raimon just goes along with it, Ramen, Reality is a thing™, Rewrite of the series, Sarcastic Tenma, Sassy Tenma, Second Stage Children, Seizures, Self-Esteem Issues, Social Media, Souls, Tenma gets into trouble, Tenma has common sense, Tenma is insane, Tenma starts a war, Time Machines are Dangerous™, Time Travel, drama queen, lots of ramen, lots of trouble, the resistance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2019-06-28 10:43:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 49,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15705630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yara_Meijer/pseuds/Yara_Meijer
Summary: Three years after the GO series and some players have matured a bit. Others... not so much.  Things have changed and everything's going well until- "DAMNIT YOU STUPID RABBIT!" -Fei accidentaly sends Tenma to the past (and gets him stuck in his younger body in the process)! The worst? He now has to go through everything AGAIN! So what does Tenma do? He messes with everyone by using his future knowledge, of course! Only this time, he has two things he didn't have in the normal series: Knowledge of the future and this little handy thing called ''common sense''. And, not to mention, a thirst for revenge, since his future teammates cause way too much trouble. Watch out, Raimon, because the insanity is about to start! Rewrite of the series!





	1. Chapter 1

* * *

**Accidental Reverse Arc 1**

* * *

Matsukaze Tenma, the sixteen-year-old captain of the Raimon High School soccer team, is thoroughly unimpressed.

Sitting with his arms crossed in the 'captain chair' of the club room, he looks at his teammates blankly. Said teammates are staring back with hopeful, begging eyes.

''Tenmaaaa! Please please pleeeeaaase?'' pouts a small, brown-haired boy, brown eyes filling with tears. When the puppy dog eyes don't work, the boy lets his head hang sadly. ''P-please…?'' he tries again.

Without moving his head, the captain scans his other teammates. A boy with purple hair is next to the brown-haired boy, eyes big and begging. Behind him is a taller boy with dark blue hair and orange eyes, not begging like the other two, yet a hopeful spark is seen in his eyes. Next to him is a wavy-haired boy with amused brown eyes, but he too seems interested in the situation.

''We'll be really very extra careful!'' adds a boy with bright orange hair, clasping his hands together and falling to his knees. ''Please Ten-chan! If you really love us, you'll allow us to do this!''

Tenma raises an unimpressed eyebrow and everyone blanches. For a moment everything is silent but then the orange-haired teen clasps his heart with his right hand and places his left hand against his forehead. ''No!'' he cries dramatically. ''It's THE eyebrow! We are doooooomed…'' with his dramatic shout he lets himself fall to the floor, lying completely still.

The captain is unaffected, having seen this scene before. ''Taiyou, get off the floor. Your uniform is getting dirty,'' he says blankly. After a few seconds the boy, now known as Taiyou, sits up with a bright grin, dusting his yellow and blue jersey off. Tenma looks at his other teammates again. ''Last time you did something like this, you  _blew up_  half of the lounge. The school only payed for all the damage because the soccer section is the most successful part of our education system. Not to mention, coach Gouenji was almost fired – again –  _and_  you created mountains of paperwork for the both of us. So give me  _one good reason_ why I should let you do this.''

''You're overreacting,'' says a green-haired boy, waving his hand carelessly. ''It wasn't that bad, and they'd never fire coach. He's one of the best things that happened to this school in the last three years, just like our presence here. The school loves us, so we can get away with anything,'' he grins. ''And I promise we'll be really careful!''

The brunet glares at him. ''Fei, you're one of the people who causes the most trouble here,'' he states. ''You're not even from this time.''

''Yes,'' agrees Fei seriously, '' _but_  nobody cares.''

Tenma sighs desperately. ''God, what happened to all of you? I thought you were a little smarter than this.''

''It'll be fun,'' says the wavy-haired boy in amusement, immediately supported by the other soccer players.

The captain leans back in his seat. ''Takuto-san,'' he starts slowly, ''I cannot believe you agree with this. They blew up the lounge. Blew up! And not even a month before that they broke all the windows in the locker room-''

''By accident!'' protests Taiyou.

''-and two weeks before that they  _covered the outside field in gelatin,''_  says Tenma, completely ignoring Taiyou.

''Hey, don't act like you were innocent,'' says a teal-haired boy. ''The gelatin was your idea!''

''WHAT?!'' shouts a light blue-haired boy with tanned skin, who was previously sitting on one of the couches in the clubroom but is now standing and glaring murder at the captain. '' _You're_  the one who did that?!'' he hisses.

''Kurama-senpai…'' Tenma's strict behavior dissipates for a moment as he chuckles sheepishly. ''Okay, that  _was_  my idea but I only thought they'd cover the locker room, not the outside field. If I'd know we would have to use the inside field for two more weeks because of that, I'd never have suggested it.'' Then his glare is back, this time directed at the teal-haired boy. ''Kariya, I thought you promised not to tell any of the senpai that.''

Kariya freezes when he sees the dark aura growing around his captain. He raises his hands in an attempt to calm the brunet. ''U-um, I didn't mean to! Sorry!'' he cries desperately, but the brunet doesn't listen. His teammates can swear that horns are growing on the brunet's head.

''It's demon-Tenma,'' states Taiyou blankly. ''Good luck surviving this, Kariya.'' He gives the boy thumbs up.

''WHAT KIND OF TEAMMATES ARE YOU?! HE'S GOING TO KILL ME!''

'' **Hehehe** ,'' laughs the brunet lowly. '' **Ka~ri~ya-kun~** '' he sings, '' **Your training menu is doubled~** ''

''NOOOOO!''

Fei pulls Tenma's attention back to the matter at hand. ''Come on Ten-chan, can we please do this?''

The brunet sighs tiredly. ''You know what, do what you want. I don't care anymore. If you want to play with time, fine, just don't say I didn't warn you.'' With that he picks up the pen lying on the desk in front of him and continues signing the stack of paperwork.

The others stare at him in surprise but then start to grin, immediately running towards a corner of the club room to start their little project. For about half an hour, everything is going well until-

''Oops.''

Everyone freezes.

Very slowly, Tenma looks up at the cluster of people, directing his eyes towards the horrified, green-haired rabbit. ''What. Did. You. Do?''

''Um…'' begins Fei, ''I… might'vedonesomethingwrongbutI'mnotsurewhat?''

Before anything else can be said, the small machine starts to beep and Fei's eyes widen in horror. ''Everyone get down! IT'S GOING TO EXPLODE!'' everyone immediately throws themselves on the ground.

Everyone but Tenma, whose desk is standing in the way.

A ring of white light comes from the machine, passing harmlessly over the teens lying on the ground. A second later it reaches the captain, hitting him in the chest.

The last thing he sees is a bright light and then everything goes black.

* * *

 When Tenma wakes up, the first thing he sees is the familiar ceiling of his room. He blinks a few times because he is  _sure_  that he was in the club room where Fei managed to blow up another time machine, but then sighs and decides he honestly doesn't care.

A moment later a beeping sound fills the air.

The brunet frowns because that beep sounds suspiciously much like his old alarm clock, but he got rid of that thing two years ago and-

His eyes widen.

Oh god,  _please_  let this not be as messed up as he thinks it is.

' _God bless Fei if I was accidentally send to the past. I don't care that he's not a part of Raimon's team, I_ will _make him train until he collapses.'_

Knowing there's only one way to find out, he sighs and turns his head to face the room.

His old room.

Tenma groans when he sees his old room – which he redecorated two years ago – and mentally he swears that Fei will pay for this.

' _Better find a way to contact Fei… then he can get me out of here. Wouldn't do to mess up the timeline.'_

He sits up and freezes.

Something is wrong.

His body feels weird. Like… like it's not his own body. The brunet frowns and ignores the fear that is starting to fill his stomach. Slowly he gets out of his bed and stumbles- _because whatthehell why is his body feeling so weird thisiswrong -_ but he manages to catch himself due to his reflexes that have gotten so much better over the years.

The brunet takes a breath to calm his racing heart and makes his way to the closet and the mirror he knows is on the inside of the door-  _this feels_

_W_

_R_

_O_

_N_

_G_

–and opens it.

His eyes fall on the mirror and-

' _Oh. My. God.'_

No. This can't be happening.  _This. Can't. Be. Happening._  Time travel is one thing but- but this is- this should be  _impossible!_

Because when he looks in the mirror, he sees himself.

Correction. He sees his  _thirteen-year-old_  self and last time he checked he was  _sixteen-_

His thirteen-year-old self. His hair is slightly shorter than the last time he checked the mirror, and  _oh god_  why are his eyes so  _big?_  And not to mention,  _sparkly?_

And perhaps the worst…

He's short.

Not as short as Shinsuke, but still shorter than Kyousuke and Takuto are at this age and  _they had teased him so much after the GCG because he was still short and then he got a grow spurt and thentheydidn'tlaughanymore-_

He's hyperventilating now.

' _Okay Matsukaze, pull it together! You're three years into the past. Big deal. You've gotten younger. Big. Deal. You've dealt with worse! Like that time you figured out that time travel is real-_ **Fei you better watch out** _–or that time you found out that aliens exist and Kyousuke was kidnapped-_ **serves him right, bastard** _–or when Kariya, Kirino and Hamano decided to cover a third of the school in spaghetti-_   **what is it with causing trouble?** _–that was all way worse than this-'_

No. This is  **definitely**  worse.

He gets his breath under control and sighs tiredly.  _'…so… what now?'_

And immediately freezes again when he realizes-

 _Does this mean he has to go through the past three years_ again?!

_No. Way._

Tenma looks at his young-  _so young, so SHORT_ –reflection again and takes a deep, deep breath.

''I AM GOING TO  **KILL** YOU,  _YOU STUPID RABBIT!''_

* * *

 Recovering from the sound of his high-pitched voice took a while.

And then he found out that the shock of realizing that his body is physically at the level of his thirteen-year-old self before he joined Raimon-  _meaning he can only dribble, no Keshin, no Soul, no super shots,_ _ **hell**_ _he can't even score a normal goal_ –is way worse than finding out he has to go through everything again.

Soon after, the now thirteen-year-old Tenma figures out that it's the first day of school.

( _Life hates him._ )

And so, reluctantly, he dresses in his old uniform and picks up his bag, which was already prepared. With great dread he goes to the dining room where he sees Aki.

She's younger than he remembers.

( _Well, duh. Three years into the past, remember?_ )

But she's still as cheerful and nice and the same Aki he remembers, and she greets him with a warm 'good morning, Tenma!' and he smiles-  _not good enough, wider, widerwiderwider his cheeks hurt dammit_ –and responds, ''good morning Aki-nee!''

She sets a plate in front of him and her food calms him down a little. Until…

''So, looking forward to today?''

_NO._

( _Fake a smile, a wide smile-_

 _Oh, screw it._ )

He scowls. ''No.''

Aki blinks, obviously surprised. ''B-but you've been looking forward to it for months…'' she trails off, uncertain.

Tenma nods and pouts. ''Hai. But this morning I woke up to find out that I'm three years into the past because a stupid rabbit just had to mess with time and I  _really_  don't want to go through all that trouble again.'' And then, under his breath so she can't hear, ''Fei, I  _will kill you.''_

The green-haired woman stares at him.

He stares back.

''Uh… are you feeling alright, Tenma?'' asks his relative, disbelief obvious in her tone.

''You don't believe me.'' It's a statement, not a question. Aki shakes her head slowly and the brunet shrugs. ''Meh, not my problem. Thanks for the food, but I'll get going now. Maybe some fresh air will clear my mind before all the insanity starts…''

Ten minutes later, after saying goodbye to Sasuke, he is walking slowly in the direction of his old-  _new_  -school. Instead of running like he did the first time 'round, he walks calmly because his body is  _three years younger and he's still getting used to his shorter limbs and he has already kissed the floor three times today-_  but soon he breaks out in a light sprint, hoping to get some of his motor control back.

Soon he reaches Raimon Junior High and the brunet, knowing he's later than last time, casually makes his way to the outside field.

( _And it's so weird to see the place where everything started, because it looks the same but he knows it's_

_W_

_R_

_O_

_N_

_G_

_and he really doesn't know if he should be happy to see his teammates again- his_ oh so young  _teammates who are_ unhappy _because **Fifth Sector**_ _is still here and he doesn't remember what happened last time will it be alright and oh god what if he messes up the timeline-_ )

A moment later he can hear voices.

''All he used was that one soccer ball, and we…'' Tenma recognizes Ichino's voice. Then he can see the field and he scans the familiar situation.

The players of the second team are scattered over the field, all beaten up. Tsurugi is standing in the middle of them, smirking arrogantly-  _those eyes, those horrible, cold eyes… his friend is suffering, no_ -at coach Kudou ( _well, doesn't he look all rainbowy and sparkly today?_ ) and Haruna ( _she… actually hasn't changed all that much_ ).

No emotion shows on his face as he hears how the players give up one by one.

( _So easily. Do they even like soccer? Do they even know what real suffering is? In the future, everyone from his team, everyone has suffered and become stronger._ )

But this is a world ruled by Fifth Sector.

Tenma narrows his eyes and clenches his fists. He takes a deep breath and forces himself to relax.

( _Not for long._ )

Instead of getting worked up he breathes in and out slowly.

( _He will stop them again. No matter what it takes._ )

It doesn't take long before his panic is replaced by calm determination.

( _Even if he has to do it on his own._ )

''Why are you doing this?!'' asks Ichino, holding his shoulder as he looks up at Tsurugi's smirking face.

''No one needs soccer,'' replies the forward, his eyes closed like the others aren't even worth looking at and an arrogant smile decorating his features. ''So I'm going to destroy it.''

Suddenly the time traveler's eyes light up and a grin threatens to take over his face.  _'Wait… if I have to deal with everything again anyway, why shouldn't I have some fun?'_

Messing with his future friends will be  _so much_  fun.

Tenma mentally grins evilly. ''You do know soccer is played all around the world, right?'' he calls, surprising everyone on the field.

Tsurugi's smile falls off his face and he opens his eyes to look at the brunet. ''What?'' he hisses, orange eyes narrowing.

The original Tenma would've been nervous but pushed through with actions. But Tenma is now three years older ( _mentally, he reminds himself sourly because he's still so SHORT dammit_ ) and he has learned to deal with chaos. He has also learned that, instead of actions, words sometimes have a bigger effect. So instead of panicking he stays calm and smiles relaxingly.

''Just a question,'' he says simply. ''I was wondering if you realized that. I mean, if you're going to destroy soccer, you've got your job cut out for you.'' The brunet walks down slowly, stopping next to Haruna.

Tsurugi grits his teeth, obviously annoyed, and doesn't answer. Instead he looks at Ichino again. ''Starting from today, this soccer club is disbanded.''

Haruna protests immediately. ''Do you think you can-''

Tenma cuts her off. ''Um… this is the second team, you know that, right?''

Yes, the brunet is aware that Tsurugi knows this. The forward is waiting for them to show up, but hey, he's caused so much trouble in the future that Tenma thinks revenge is in order – even though this Tsurugi Kyousuke hasn't really done anything yet…

He ignores that fact and continues. ''If you want to disband the soccer club, you should probably beat the first team,'' he says and then shrugs, still smiling easily.

The forward glares at him but the brunet, who is used to much worse, just looks back blankly. ''Soccer isn't needed!'' he hisses and kicks the ball that is lying at his feet. It lands in the trashcan on the other side of the field.

Haruna stares at it with wide eyes but then turns back to the first-year. ''Are you trying to insult soccer?''

Tsurugi gladly takes the new lead and smirks. ''Insult?'' he turns his head away arrogantly. ''Don't get so worked up, teacher.''

While the teacher stutters, Tenma nods slowly and hums, gaining the attention of the other people again. ''Hm, perhaps you're right,'' he says to Tsurugi. ''Maybe soccer isn't needed. It's not essential for the survival of the human race, but it's a way to pass time that already existed – or at least certain variants of it – thousands of years ago. If people from such a long time ago can come up with it, it would be kind of impossible to destroy it. People could always reinvent it, right?''

Tenma smiles.

Tsurugi's eye twitches.

Tenma's sadistic side cheers silently.  _'Hah, that's what you get! I love you like a brother, Kyou, but you can sometimes cause too much trouble. Too. Much. Revenge is sweet.'_

''Who the heck are you?!''

Tenma hums again and places a finger on his chin, adopting a thinking stance. ''Hmm… good question~!'' he sings and smiles brightly. ''But isn't that a bit rude? I don't even know your name and you just demand to know who I am!''

Oh, he's seriously annoying his future rival-  _brother_  -now. ''My name is Tsurugi Kyousuke. You better remember it, bastard!'' he hisses.

The time traveler nods. ''Well, was that so hard?'' he smiles innocently but inside he is growing devil horns, chuckling evilly. ' **That's for all the paperwork you caused me… hehehe…** '

''I'm a first-year. The name's Wasure Teta,'' he introduces himself. ''I'm going to join the soccer team today.''

Mentally he cackles at their confused looks.  _'Wasure Teta. Wasureteta, meaning "I forgot". Basically I introduced myself as "I forgot my name".'_  He can only just keep the smirk from his face.

Tsurugi shakes the weird name off and grins, thinking he has the upper hand again. ''Too bad for you. As of right now, it's gone. You should just go join another club.''

Tenma nods thoughtfully again. ''Hmm… but like I said before, I think you should beat the first team before you can claim the soccer club is disbanded…''

The forward's eyebrow twitches again. ''So, you like soccer?'' he asks, trying to lead the conversation in a new direction.

The other first-year nods. ''Yep. Always have, always will~''

Tsurugi smirks again and kicks the ball-  _where the hell did that come from? He just kicked it in the trashcan!_ –at his feet in the air, balancing it on his knee. ''Soccer is just a waste of time. You should forget about it.''

The brunet tilts his head and hums again. ''Perhaps,'' he agrees, ''but if it wasn't for soccer, I'd be dead, so I think I wouldn't be able to forget it even if I tried.''

( _That's a lie. When Alpha took him to the past he found out that he'd only be in a coma for a while, but hey, he's not supposed to know that yet and a white lie never hurt anybody!_ )

Everyone stares at him.

Tenma just shrugs. ''Hey, it was not like I was trying to die!'' he huffs indignantly. ''It was an accident. An accident, people!'' he turns back to Tsurugi. ''So… sorry to disappoint you but I don't really feel like joining another club. I love soccer, and that's all there is to it.''

''It ticks me off…'' growls Tsurugi. ''When newbies like you start talking about soccer like they know everything about it!'' and he kicks the ball harshly towards the defenseless brunet.

Tenma, knowing his body can't handle the shot in its current state, steps to the side and lets it pass harmlessly. Then he raises a curious eyebrow. ''Are you a stalker?''

Tsurugi chokes on air. ''W-what?!''

''Wasure-kun?!'' Haruna stares at him and then at the choking Tsurugi.

Tenma forces his laughter down at the fake name and shrugs. ''Well, you seemed quite certain that I'm new to soccer. I was curious as to why you were so sure about that, because you haven't seen me play yet and we have only been talking for about five minutes. So the logical explanation would be that you're a stalker.''

Tsurugi grits his teeth and the brunet can swear he's seeing fire behind the forward. The Seed opens his mouth to speak, but Haruna speaks up suddenly. ''Chairman Kinzan!'' the fat chairman and the tall, thin man whose name Tenma can't recall, are walking towards them. ''Please make them stop this!''

( _And Tenma grits his teeth because that fat-cat-loving-bastard works for Fifth Sector and causes so much trouble- his top priority should be the safety of the students_ ( _and he's totally not annoyed because that stupid cat once stole his lunch, no absolutely not_ [even though it was his favorite]  _but only because his actions could harm innocent students-_ ))

[Tenma still wants revenge for that lunch.]

''No, I'll allow this,'' Kinzan responds grimly. ''I've been feeling that the soccer club would be needing reform in the near future. They have no value existing if they lose to a single new student.'' The chairman looks at Tenma. ''What was your name again?''

''Wasure Teta,'' Tenma states again, completely serious. The chairman and the thin guy stare at him, speechless. The brunet stares back, forcing his evil cackles down.

The chairman clears his throat. ''Wasure-kun,'' he states seriously. ''The fate of the soccer club lies with you. I'll let you handle this.''

' _I didn't even agree to a contest this time!'_

Tenma blinks. ''Um, excuse me sir, but that's kind of unfair,'' he says and the man blinks-  _bastard, serves him right. I know you're working for Fifth Sector_ –while Tenma smiles sheepishly. ''As Stalker-san here already knows, I am new to soccer. I have never joined a club before and only practiced on my own. If the second team, eleven players who have been training here for at least a year, can't beat him, how am I supposed to do that? To tell me the fate of the soccer club lies with me while my soccer abilities are close to zero is not only unfair to others who want to play soccer here, but also very illogical because I have not officially joined the soccer club yet. Furthermore, rash behavior like Stalker-san has displayed with his challenge to the second team is basically being encouraged. Stalker-san has harmed these students while that is clearly against the rules of the game, and in that case he should be punished for causing trouble when the induction ceremony has not even taken place yet  _and_  for the fact he is not wearing the required uniform,'' he says calmly.

Everyone stares at him. Again.

' _Why is everyone so surprised by logic?'_  asks Tenma's mental voice.

( _Because, honestly, looking back at his first year in Raimon makes him realize that logic was_ definitely _missing. They went to the past for weeks-_

(skipping school!)

_-and no one-_

(not even the school staff-

[especially not cat-loving-getyourprioritiesstraight-bastard who should d-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y do something if more than ten students  _from the same, just-disbanded club_  skip school for a few days]

-or any other responsible adults)

 _-noticed so what does that say about the people in this town- they used to be_ Raimon,  _from the soccer club and soccer had just been banned- seriously,_ obvious _much?!_ )

Tenma shrugs sheepishly. ''At least, that's what I think…''

Mentally, demon-Tenma cackles at their stunned expressions.  _ **'Muhahaha~ no one's using me this time 'round! Especially not Fifth-Sector-following-cat-bastards!'**_

Seeing as everyone still seems to be in shock, he pushes on. ''If you wanted to test the soccer club for its usefulness, I propose a match between the first team and Stalker-san's team,'' he turns to Tsurugi, raising an eyebrow, ''which I assume you do have, right?''

Tsurugi nods and his eyebrow twitches. ''Stop calling me that,'' he hisses.

Tenma blinks. ''What, Stalker-san? You don't like it?'' at the forward's disbelieving gaze, he pouts and lets his shoulders hang. ''Aw, I thought it would be a good nickname to signify the start of a beautiful friendship~''

The stares are getting really annoying now.

The brunet looks back to the chairman. ''But back to the matter at hand. Am I correct, Chairman Kinzan?'' he smiles innocently.

The old man grits his teeth. ''My decision has been made.''

' _Damn him.'_  Tenma shrugs, not letting his thoughts show on his face. ''Aha. If I had known this school had a bully-tolerating policy, I would've gone to Arakumo Academy instead. What a shame.'' He then looks at Tsurugi. ''Very well then, Sta- excuse me,  _Tsurugi-san_ , we are supposed to have a contest to determine the fate of the soccer club. Since I do want it to be fair and safe, I say we discuss the rules.''

* * *

 Everyone on the field, the second team, Haruna, the coach, the Chairman and the thin guy, have moved to the side to make space for Tsurugi and Tenma.

''Now then…'' Tsurugi's voice breaks the silence, taunting. ''Let's play soccer.'' He grins. ''Teta-kun.''

Tenma's lips twitch at the fake name. Tsurugi would have been very intimidating but the small joke makes it hard to take him seriously. ''Very well, Tsu-chan,'' he responds in kind and Tsurugi's eye twitches again.

The forward kicks the ball in the air and balances it on his knee, waiting for the brunet to steal it. Tenma runs forward, knowing it's useless at his current physical level, and falls to the ground as Tsurugi moves out of the way because  _even though he's been practicing the whole day already his motor control is pathetically low_.

It continues like that, Tsurugi taunting the brunet, until he stops and places a foot on the ball. ''Let's put an end to this.''

Tenma watches silently as Tsurugi makes the familiar moves for Death Sword.

'' **Death Sword**!'' the ball shoots forward, surrounded by a massive amount of blue and black energy, in the direction of the defenseless brunet.

Tenma stands up from where he had fallen the last time he tried to steal the ball and braces himself.  _'I can stop this. I know I can.'_

The ball seems to slow as a sudden rush of energy goes through his veins. ''I'll stop it  _no matter what!''_  the energy that rushes through him forms a dark, purplish blue aura around him – not the aura of a Keshin but the aura of  _Keshin Armed_  – as his head hits the ball, fighting against the shot for a moment before deflecting it. The ball falls on the ground and Tenma lands gracefully, placing his foot on the ball to stop it from rolling away.

For a moment he just stares at it and then…

''Damn it!''

That was  _not_  supposed to happen. Keshin  _Armed?!_  No way! If he can't get his normal Keshin back, who knows how much it will mess up the timeline! They're only supposed to learn about Keshin Armed when Fei shows up!

He grits his teeth and hesitantly glances at Tsurugi. The forward is gaping at him and he almost laughs at the stunned expression. Almost.

( _S-T-A-R-E-S_ )

Tenma knows what will happen next. Well, at least this little spar has helped him to gain a little control over his shorter-than-usual limbs.

The forward grits his teeth and kicks the ball in front of him-  _seriously, how many balls are there on this field? First the one in the trashcan, then the one he's standing on- hey, where is that ball? Tsurugi has it? How is that even possible, it was here a second ago!_ –with all the force he can muster.

Tenma doesn't move, even though the ball is definitely going to hit him in the face. But he hasn't encountered the first team yet so he hasn't changed their arrival either.

And, just as predicted, another ball hits Tsurugi's ball and changes its course slightly so that instead of hitting the brunet, it moves past him.

Tenma looks up in the direction the second-  _third? Fourth? He doesn't know anymore_  –ball came from with a knowing smile. There, with the sun shining from behind him, is none other than Shindou Takuto.

''You guys!'' he calls sternly and the brunet remembers how impressed he was the first time this happened. ''What do you think you're doing on the soccer club's sacred grounds?!''

Tenma blinks, wondering if he heard that right.  _'Pfft… sacred grounds? Really? Sometimes I forget that Takuto-san has a dramatic streak. He almost never shows it…'_

''Shindou-kun!'' exclaims Haruna from next to Kudou, who seems unfazed by all the events.

( _Why is he so calm? Tenma was looking forward to making him lose his composure the most!_ )

Tsurugi chuckles darkly. ''So he finally showed up...''

''I'm Raimon Jr. High's captain, Shindou Takuto. And these are…'' people appear behind him, the sun giving them an impressive aura. ''The Raimon Eleven!'' he exclaims dramatically.

Tenma  _stares_  at him and absentmindedly the thought  _'definitely a dramatic streak_ ' goes through his mind before he promptly bursts out laughing.

( _If he ever goes back to his original time, he'll_ never _let Takuto-san live this down, because-_

 _**Sacred** _ _**grounds.** _

_-it's just too funny._ )

Tenma laughs so hard at the indignant expressions of his future teammates he has to cry.

[ _Shindou Takuto, DQE…_

 _Drama Queen Extraordinaire_.]


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

  **Accidental Reverse Arc 1**

* * *

Tenma watches impassively at the Black Knights destroying the Raimon Eleven. Maybe 'destroying' is a bit of a big word, but the score is already 8-0 for Tsurugi's team. The brunet frowns slightly when another goal is made.

His future rival looks up and their eyes meet. Tenma blinks and then grins at him, waving cheerfully as his thoughts go back to what happened after the Raimon Eleven appeared on the field.

( _Tenma has stopped laughing._

_Shindou, much like the rest of the Raimon Eleven, stares at him in disbelief and indignation. The captain opens his mouth to say something but Tsurugi beats him to it. ''Why the hell are you laughing?''_

_The brunet, still chuckling, wipes the tears from his eyes as he straightens out his uniform. ''Oh don't mind me,'' he waves casually with his hand. ''Please go on with… whatever this is. I'm just a bystander.''_

_Shindou narrows his eyes at him. ''Who are you?''_

'' _I'm Wasure Teta.''_

_The captain almost chokes on air, just like Tsurugi did before. ''Your name is 'I forgot'?'' he asks, stunned. Tenma just shrugs and Shindou shakes his head, glancing at the beaten up second team. Then he looks back at Tsurugi, dismissing the other first-year. ''What do you think you're doing here?''_

'' _Soccer,'' answers Tsurugi, a smirk forming on his face._

_The captain furrows his brows a bit. ''Show some manners, first-year.'' The Raimon team moves down to the field. ''Don't get high and mighty just because you beat the second team!''_

'' _Beat them?'' Tsurugi tilts his head and crosses his arms arrogantly. ''I just played around with them for a bit.''_

_Tenma watches quietly as Shindou converses with coach Kudou about Tsurugi's identity. ''What did you come here to do?'' asks Kudou, directing his question at Tsurugi._

'' _I've been ordered to reform Raimon's soccer club,'' answers Tsurugi calmly._

'I thought he said he would disband the club. Can't he make up his mind?'

_The forward continues talking. ''The whole lot of you are getting pitched with the rest of the trash.'' He chuckles quietly at Raimon's reactions as people appear behind him. ''Let me introduce you. This is the new…''_

_He raises his hand and snaps his fingers as the people who can only be a soccer team stand next to him._

''… _Raimon Eleven!'' he exclaims. ''They're your replacements,'' he says and the official Raimon team looks at him grimly._

_Tenma blinks as he looks at the black and yellow uniforms of the 'new' Raimon. ''No way…'' he says and Tsurugi looks at him._

_The forward smirks. ''What? Too shocked to think of a witty remark?'' The brunet blinks and Tsurugi's smirk turns into a feral grin, until-_

'' _Are they supposed to look like bees?''_

 _Everyone stares at him_ again. _Finally Tsurugi manages to say one, shocked word._

'' _What?''_ )

Another goal is made and the score is now 10-0. Casually Tenma walks towards the bench where Kudou is sitting. ''Coach Kudou?'' he asks and the man looks at him blankly. ''Isn't it the job of the coach to advice the players if they're having a hard time during a match?'' he tilts his head, hoping his wording will change the man's answer.

It does.

''Put on a spare uniform,'' he orders him and Tenma huffs quietly.

' _He didn't even bother to answer my question!'_

Kudou continues. ''Aren't you a candidate to join the club? I'm testing you.'' The coach looks over his shoulder at the brunet.

The time traveler stares at him. ''Are you allowed to do that, sir?'' when the coach doesn't answer, he shrugs. ''Okay. Just please don't say you're switching 'I forgot' in. That probably wouldn't do much good for your image.''

The coach's lips twitch slightly. ''Not your real name?'' it's more a statement than a question but the brunet nods anyway.

''Nope. I'm Matsukaze Tenma.''

Kudou nods and then turns back to the field, raising a hand. ''Switch players!'' the players stop, surprised. ''In place of Minamisawa Atsushi… is Matsukaze Tenma!''

( _Déjà vu much?_ [Why can't he just keep out of trouble? Not that he's really trying, but honestly people! He's not some kind of tool to be used! First the chairman, now the coach?])

Five minutes later he's wearing a familiar soccer uniform that he hasn't worn in almost a year. Minamisawa moves from the field casually, but Tenma can see how he grits his teeth under the cool exterior.

( _The purple-haired third-year never really warmed up to him, even after three years, so he doesn't expect it to be different now. It's a shame, the older boy is a good player, but he can't have everything in life_ ( _and honestly, Minamisawa is being completely unreasonable. It's not_ his  _fault Kudou told him to play in this match_ ( _but even so, Tenma is not_ really _angry at him, since he did care for Raimon's other members and was at least civil to him in the end._ )))

The brunet steps on the field and bows politely at Shindou. ''I have no idea why coach Kudou thinks this is a good idea, but I'll do my best,'' he says politely.

Shindou raises an eyebrow. ''Your name's not Wasure Teta?''

Tenma answers the look with his own raised eyebrow. ''You really believe someone would call their child 'I forgot'?'' he returns easily and moves towards his position, leaving a frowning Shindou behind.

''The new player, Matsukaze Tenma, has entered the pitch!'' says the commentator. ''Just what does coach Kudou have planned?''

And Tsurugi kicks the ball as the game continues. Tenma, still not used to his younger body, tries to steal the ball but fails again and again.

( _Not that he's_ that  _bad, but he knows that for things to start working, Shindou must release his Keshin._ )

* * *

Tenma drinks from his water bottle as he looks at the current Raimon. The atmosphere is grim and quiet and the brunet mentally sighs as he stares out over the now empty field.  _'I'd forgotten how everything started. I've gotten so used to the idea of being number one in Japan that I forgot what real hardships feel like. Maybe… maybe this is not so bad, after all…'_

''Why'd you lie about your name?'' asks a familiar voice suddenly.

Tenma looks up into the brown eyes of Raimon's future game maker. ''I was messing with Kyousuke-kun's head,'' he smiles and shoots a look at the Black Knight's captain. Tsurugi narrows his eyes when their eyes meet and Tenma waves cheerfully. The forward turns his head away.

Shindou, after watching the exchange, narrows his eyes. ''You're on first name basis?''

The time traveler shrugs. ''Apparently. He called me by my fake first name first, so I thought I would just return the favor.''

The Raimon captain blinks and lowers his water bottle. ''Are you mocking him?''

For a moment, Tenma thinks about that question and then…

''Nope, this is just the start of a beautiful friendship between me and Stalker-san~!'' Shindou sweatdrops and Tenma just grins brightly. Then his smile falls and he looks at his future rival, sadness evident in his eyes. ''He… Tsurugi's hurting,'' he says after thinking about it for a moment. ''He hides it behind a wall of anger and arrogance, but he can't completely get rid of his emotions…''

Tenma closes his eyes for a moment as his heart goes out to the suffering soccer player.

( _Because it had taken a long time to get Kyou to open up. When they were in their last year of Jr. High, best friends and rivals for over two years, when Tenma had proven again and again that he'd do anything for his friends, for Kyousuke, the latter had finally,_ finally _opened up about the years of loneliness after his brother's accident. No tears were spilled, no unnecessary words were spoken, but when Kyousuke had finished his talk Tenma smiled so warmly when he promised he'd always be there to pick up the pieces and fit them back together, Raimon's ace couldn't help but believe him. From that day on, they finally accepted that they were more than just friends, that they were like brothers in all but blood._ )

''Hurting?'' Shindou's sharp voice breaks him out of his thoughts. ''He basically destroyed the second team.'' The accusation is clear in his voice and the brunet has to remind himself that right now, the two of them are  _not_  friends.

Tenma sighs and, in a rare act of vulnerability, draws his legs to his chest and leans his head on his knees as sad silver eyes look out over the soccer field. ''Hai,'' he says softly. ''Everyone here is. Everyone here has lost something… maybe it has to do with soccer and Fifth Sector, maybe it has to do with something else. No one here… no one here can smile for real,'' and his voice breaks because he remembers the genuine, bright smiles on his friends', on his  _family's_  faces every day during practice, and now there are no smiles and instead there are brokenbroken _broken_  and painedpained _pained_  eyes and it  _hurts_  to see the ones he loves so much like this.

( _He wishes he was back in his original time, where every day would be a surprise. Some days he would walk in the clubroom to find that all his paperwork had already been done by the third-years, or that one of the second-years wanted him to taste the food they made in cooking class. Other days he would enter the changing room to find that all the lockers had been painted purple with glitters, and the only thing he could do was facepalm because_ seriously _don't they have anything better to do, but in the end he would smile fondly as the culprits were being scolded by the others-_ )

Shindou seems a bit uncomfortable and Sangoku comes to his rescue. ''You know about Fifth Sector?'' asks the keeper and the brunet realizes that everyone has been listening to the conversation.

Tenma nods. ''Of course I do. Kinda hard to miss, hmm?'' he chuckles humorlessly. ''Deciding the scores before the match has even been played… what has Raimon come to?'' his voice is merely a whisper.

''Then why did you come here?'' asks Shindou, confusion evident in his voice. ''If you know about that you'd know that Raimon's reputation is fake.''

The brunet glances at him. ''It's been my life-long dream to play soccer at Raimon. I don't care about any fake reputation, I just want to bring this club back to where it belongs.''

Shindou closes his eyes for a moment and smiles. ''Life-long dream, huh…'' he opens his eyes and his expression turns grim. ''You're the only one saying things like that. Results are everything. If your soccer is weak, people will see you as worthless. To prevent this, Fifth Sector was created.''

A long silence follows, which is eventually broken by the start of the second half. Just before Tenma walks onto the field, he looks at Shindou again. ''This is not soccer,'' he says softly. ''Real soccer is feeling the wind through your hair when you chase after the ball, real soccer is the sound of cheering when someone makes a goal after working hard for it, real soccer is laughing and celebrating with your friends when you've won a match after practicing for hours on end.'' A soft smile lights up his face and everyone stares at him, obviously stunned. ''That is  _real_  soccer. Not this fake replacement.''

The second half starts.

* * *

Tenma mentally grins when he shows off his dribbling skills. His body might not be like it used to be, and he might be clumsy because of his shorter limbs, but the familiar, agile movements that he has been practicing ever since he was three haven't forsaken him yet. His little contest with Tsurugi before the first team showed up has helped to with getting the motor control over his body back.

He's almost in front of the goal now. The brunet grits his teeth, fighting the urge to shoot because he knows his shooting skills are basically nonexistent right now and even if he  _did_  score it might have drastic changes for the end of the match.

''Hey, pass it here!'' yells Hamano as the brunet passes him.

Tenma shakes his head. ''Can't,'' he yells back, breathing heavily. He glances at Kirino as the pink-haired defender tells him to pass the ball to him. The brunet stops a few meters from the defender, glancing around as he explains his actions to his teammates ( _something he hadn't done first time 'round_ ). ''They- they'll attack you again,'' he says between pants.

( _Even though he knows that the Black Knights will attack him instead and when he stands up again, Tsurugi will eventually use his Keshin-_ )

''What?'' the shocked cry comes from Shindou and Tenma smiles ruefully at him.

Then the brunet glances at the captain of the Black Knights, and surely- ''Think it'd work that easily?'' Tsurugi snaps his fingers and a moment later Tenma is surrounded by the opposite team.

''Matsukaze!'' Shindou's voice is alarmed and the brunet can't help but look at him. When grey meets cautious brown the brunet smiles sadly, already knowing what will happen next.

' _Sorry for this, Takuto-san, but you_ have _to release your Keshin and this is the only way.'_

Meanwhile, Tsurugi is standing in front of Tenma. ''Your face ticks me off,'' he growls ( _now, that's just_ rude!) and a blueish black cloud suddenly surrounds him. His Keshin forms, the blue and purple aura not warm and protecting like Tenma is used to, but cold and threatening and for a moment the brunet has to remind himself,  _he's doing this for his teammates, for their happiness, for everyone who loves soccer-_

But he still braces himself for the pain that's surely going to come.

''This is my Keshin,  **Sword Saint Lancelot** ,'' grins Tsurugi. And while Raimon's members express their shock, the forward shoots forward and Lancelot's sword attacks Tenma.

_**PAIN.** _

The brunet certainly wasn't expecting  _this_.

He forces his lips shut even through the-  _agonizing, burning, excruciating_  –pain, not wanting to give Tsurugi the satisfaction of hearing him voicing his pain. But it  _hurts_  so bad,  _burning-freezing-hurting-excruciating-agonyagonyagonyagonyAGONY-_

( _And this shouldn't be happening because he's been attacked with a Keshin before but then it didn't hurt this bad- the first time around, this was painful but it was_ bearable _and this makes him want to scream and cry until he's swallowed by unconsciousness, and why this shouldn't be happening he should be able to deal with this this shouldn't hurt so much why why why oh god why_ it HURTS-)

His pain resistance in his thirteen-year-old body is lower. He's used to the high pain tolerance of his sixteen-year-old self, so his younger body that  _isn't used to everything he goes through_  has a lower pain tolerance and he's used to the higher pain resistance, he's used to feeling less pain than this and since he feels more pain now it's even worse.

**Agony.**

Hurt.

_Pain._

And then everything happens at once-

The agony seems to come from  _inside_  him, something's trying to force itself out of his body, and it  _burns_  and it feels like his veins are on fire and it  **hurts-**

 _M-make it stop- it_ _**hurts** _ _stop it no! Fire, ice, it hurts!_

And Tsurugi continues with his attack-

The agony is getting even worse, something's trying to break free-

The Black Knight's captain stops and smirks, not tired in the slightest. Tenma falls to the ground, his whole body shaking from  _whatever_  it is that he's trying to hold back and a reddish black aura is surrounding him-

_A reddish black aura is surrounding him._

Tenma's eyes widen when he sees the familiar yet uncontrollable, raging Keshin energy.

' _Wha- what's going on? My body isn't strong enough to materialize my Keshin yet, and it looks so strange-'_  his breath stocks in realization and he pales drastically.  _'Keshin Armed…'_

His Keshin has already been awakened before and his body knows this, so, to counter Tsurugi's Lancelot, his body is trying to free his Keshin in its usual form- Keshin Armed. But his body right now isn't strong enough to support a  _normal_  Keshin, forget about Armed which takes even  _more_  energy.

Tenma might not be the expert on Keshin, but he knows that Keshin Armed would take too much energy. Even supporting it for only a second would make his body shut down.

But his Keshin, awakened while it shouldn't have awakened for another month or so ( _damn it, if he wasn't send to the past he wouldn't be dealing with all this_ ), is reacting to the presence of another Keshin and it's lite _rally tearing his body ap_ _ **art from the inside out-**_

_**A.G.O.N.Y.** _

Distinctly, he can hear screaming and, only slightly surprised because his attention is kind of on the fact that his bo _dy is trying to self-destruct_ , he realizes the voice that's screaming is his own.

He almost misses the feeling of falling on the ground as his body convulses uncontrollably, screams forcefully being torn from his throat, reddish black energy flaring around him and lashing out to anyone who comes too close.

Suddenly a long scream, filled with pure  _agony,_  tears itself from his lungs and a moment later he's a panting, crying mess as he desperately tries to force the energy back-

One voice stands out from the other voices in the background ( _screaming his name, perhaps_ ). ''Matsukaze!''

A moment later he feels a hand on his shoulder and he forces his eyes open ( _when had he shut them?_ ) only to see worried, familiar brown eyes staring down at him. Shindou is saying something but his voice is lost in the sound of another scream.

' _CALM DOWN MATSUKAZE!'_  he grits his teeth to stop another scream from leaving his lips.  _'Calm. Down. Control it. You can_ do _it, just get the control back! Force it back, back to sleep-'_

The wild energy is slowly retreating and with that the pain disappears slightly. It's not gone but at least it's bearable.

Everything is silent, the only sound coming from Tenma's heavy breath, until-

''…Matsukaze?'' asks Shindou softly. ''You okay?''

The brunet attempts to smile but it quickly turns into a grimace. ''Ouch,'' he mutters as he looks up at the captain. ''I'll be- I'll be fine,'' he breathes. From the corner of his eyes he can see Kudou stand up, his expression grim. ''Coach,'' he brings out as he forces himself up on his elbows. ''I-I'm fine.'' His voice breaks slightly but he ignores it in favor of turning his face in Kudou's direction. ''Let me play through to the end.''

Kudou looks startles for a moment, his dark eyes widening slightly. ''Matsukaze…'' he says softly, as if he is realizing something.

Shindou next to Tenma protests immediately. ''Don't overdo it, you won't last!'' he warns worriedly and Tenma glances at his teammates, who are all looking at him with worried and shocked expressions. The brunet grits his teeth-

( _He'd do anything to make them happy. They're everything to him. It doesn't matter if he's the one getting hurt – as long as they're happy, he can take everything life throws at him._ )

-and forces himself to stand up on shaking legs. Shindou, who is still kneeling on the ground, reaches out as if to stop him but the brunet's voice halts his movements. ''I want to play to the very end,'' he says as Shindou slowly stands up too, looking around seriously at the Raimon players. Shindou's eyes widen and he gasps at the sheer determination in his voice. ''If… if I make it to the very end…'' begins the brunet softly, and he suddenly turns around to look at Tsurugi. ''I'm sure we'll find a way through!''

Tsurugi ignores his words and prepares to kick the ball again, Lancelot's eyes glowing red for a moment. ''Take this!'' the ball hits Tenma in his stomach and he lands on the ground with a cry of pain. The out of control Keshin energy tries to fight its way to the surface once again but the brunet grits his teeth and, by sheer will power, forces it back.

''Matsukaze!'' Shindou runs towards him and helps him sit up. ''You're so reckless…''

Tenma remembers vaguely that something like this happened the first time too, but he ignores the memories for now and instead focuses all his attention on convincing Shindou to  _play_. ''I want to play!'' he says, wincing when another attack of his raging Keshin wracks his body. ''I want to play soccer with everyone!''

Shindou looks slightly startled. ''You'd go so far for that…?'' he asks softly.

''Please…'' Tenma reaches out and grabs the lightning logo on Shindou's shirt. ''Captain… don't give up on soccer.''

The captain's eyes widen and then soften as he looks at the bowed head of the desperate brunet. ''Matsukaze…'' his voice is a mix of awe, shock and hesitation.

Tenma clenches his eyes shut, his hand trembling. ''Captain, please,'' he whispers and suddenly he feels a hand on his wrist. Startled, he sees Shindou stand up and realizes that  _this is it, this is where Takuto-san releases his Keshin._

Shindou is crying.

His tears fall on the ground as he balls his fists. ''Even I…'' he suddenly looks up, his eyes completely clear. Pain, doubt, fear, hope, and a bunch of other things are reflected in his chocolate brown orbs. ''Why?'' he asks. ''Why?! I can't even protect my teammates. What makes me a captain?!'' his grabs the red captain band on his arm. ''This thing is just…!''

And that's when it happens. A breeze suddenly seems to rustle his hair and clothes as he screams. ''Damn it!'' a purple aura surrounds him, growing into flames of energy. Then he crosses his arms as a wave of pure, blueish black energy rises up behind him and takes form.

Shindou's Keshin looms over Raimon's half, its owner's eyes wide with the rush of uncontrollable energy as an angry scream tears itself from the captain's lungs. Tenma stumbles out of the way and for a moment, he looks up at the impressive figure that suddenly appeared.

Then it feels like someone stabs a burning knife through his heart and he gasps, choking on a scream that is drowned out by Shindou's voice. The brunet stumbles and falls silently on the ground, clutching his chest as an aura of uncontrollable reddish black surrounds him, the darkness overtaking the red a little more than before.

( _It hurts. The only thing his mind registers at the moment. It_ _ **hurts**_ _. Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembers not to scream, but even if he wanted to he can't- his lungs won't fill with air and are starting to burn, but in comparison to the pain that is still raging in his heart it feels pleasant and calming. But that soon starts to change when the combined pain of the pure energy and the lack of air starts to build up._

_He's choking on air, the precious air he so desperately needs. Something in his mind tells him he should focus on something, something but he doesn't know what-_

_A memory of blue and black flashes through his mind even as his body is fighting against itself. Blue and black… what? What are those colors?_

_En…er…gy…_

_What… what kind of energy?_

_He knows it's important but the agonizing fire is consuming his mind, reducing his ability to think. Desperately he grabs the memory of the energy, trying to distract himself from the pain but it's_ **everywhere** _and it hurts-_

_What's happening to him?! What is it that's so important?!_

_A thought, a word, drifts up in his mind._

' _Ke…shin…'_ )

Suddenly the pain reduces slightly, but it's enough to allow him to  _breathe_  even though the simple movement of filling his lung with-  _precious, oh so precious_  –air is draining the small amount of energy he has left.

He can hear voices, one he doesn't know and the other familiar-  _whose voice is that? Why does it sound, feel, so wrong? Who is it?_  –yet wrong.

The wild, chaotic energy that streams through his veins is slowly falling asleep now. His whole body burns and his limbs feel like lead, but his mind is sharper and he can think again. He pants heavily as he wretches his eyes open and scans the situation.

The coach of the Black Knights is walking onto the field while announcing that they're withdrawing. Tsurugi is looking at him, obviously annoyed, and Shindou is on his knees, panting as well.

''Are you running away?'' asks Raimon's captain angrily, his brown eyes glaring at the coach of the other team.

''Running away?'' the red-haired man glances at him and smirks. ''More like we're letting  _you_  get away.'' Shindou grits his teeth and the coach continues. ''But to look at it another way, you could say you're existence has protected Raimon, Shindou-kun.''

With that, Tsurugi kicks the ball high into the air. When it hits the ground, the Black Knights are gone.

Tenma closes his eyes when he suddenly hears a thud. The brunet glances up to see Shindou lying unconscious on the ground. He wants to stand up and run towards him, but every movement feels like the blood in his veins has been turned into acid. So instead, he watches silently as Raimon's members run towards their captain. Somewhere in the back of his mind he's happy that no one noticed his little episode just now, because he certainly does not need the unwanted attention.

' _But,'_  he muses quietly,  _'if my Keshin is going to react like that every single time I'm in the presence of another Keshin, it won't be long before I can't hide it anymore.'_

The brunet watches silently as Kudou carries Shindou away. He grits his teeth against the painful stings that shoot through his body as he carefully stands up. Suddenly he hears a familiar voice. ''Tenma.'' He looks up to see Aoi waving at him, smiling happily.

He looks at the girl. She's, of course, younger than he remembers. Her hair is shorter and reaches her chin, while in his original time it falls down her shoulders, and she wears the Raimon uniform. ''Aoi!'' he smiles at her.

Her smile becomes a bit uneasy. ''Are you okay?''

Tenma nods. ''I'm fine,'' he reassures her even as he fights off a wave of dizziness.

''Looks like a lot has happened before the induction ceremony,'' says Aoi. When she sees her friend blink in realization, she raises her eyebrows. ''What's wrong?''

''We haven't even  _had_  the induction ceremony yet, and I still need to change,'' he says and the two leave the field.

* * *

While listening to the opening speech of the evil-Fifth-Sector-cat-slave-bastard, Tenma has his first encounter with Raimon's future keeper. The small boy pulls on his sleeve and the brunet looks down at Shinsuke's smiling face. ''That match earlier was sure something!'' whispers the smaller boy in his ear. ''You faced them head on even though you're a first-year!''

The brunet smiles at his enthusiasm. ''You were watching?''

''Yeah! And I already remember your name. Matsukaze Tenma, right? You're pretty cool, Tenma!'' he smiles cheerfully. ''We're in the same class!''

' _Hmm… I never noticed, but Shinsuke immediately calls me by my first name,'_  muses Tenma.  _'And… he's kinda stalkerish…'_  mentally, 'evil' Tenma cackles. ''Have you been stalking me?'' he asks, tilting his head innocently.

Shinsuke blinks, shocked, but then immediately shakes his head. ''Of course not!'' he whispers fiercely.

The brunet fights back a smile and instead puts up an innocent façade. ''Oh… but you already know my name and class… that sounds kinda stalkerish to me,'' he says, and the smaller first-year blushes in embarrassment.

''I-I just thought you were really cool…'' he stutters, looking down.

Tenma feels kind of bad for his future friend and decides that he can always mess with him later. ''Okay, I believe you. What's your name?''

Shinsuke brightens. ''I'm Nishizono Shinsuke! I'm going to join the soccer club!''

The brunet shushes him. ''Shh,'' he whispers, gesturing towards the chairman who is still holding his speech. ''That's awesome. Let's go together after class, okay?''

The future keeper nods enthusiastically. ''Sure!''

* * *

Tenma watches emotionlessly as one by one, the members of the second team quit. Shindou-  _who seems to be alright now, thank god_  –is sitting on the table in front of the big screen, his hands clasped together and a sad, understanding expression on his face.

The members of the first team try to stop them from leaving, but to no avail. ''Are you just going to let them, Shindou?!'' asks Kurumada angrily.

''There's nothing I can do,'' states Shindou simply.

The last members of the second team announce their leaving as well, and then someone raises his hand. ''Us too,'' states one of the first players, Mizumori Tatsuya.

''We're afraid of Fifth Sector,'' admits the other first player, Kosaka Motonari.

''It'd look good on my student record if I stayed…'' says Mizumori and his voice sounds almost bored. He shares a look with Kosaka. ''But I'm not personally into soccer that much.''

While Kurumada lashes out at them, Shindou smiles at the two sadly. ''Mizumori, Kosaka,'' he says, ''thanks for all you've done for us.'' His hands are shaking as he fights back his emotions. Tenma gazes at him sadly, knowing what he must be feeling now.

( _Because being the captain is a burden. You always have to be strong for your team even when you want to cry and scream. You have the responsibility over them when there is no one else to take the leader position. During the hardest situation, you can never show weakness_ ( _but it's worth it when you see the smiles of your team after you won a match, after you finally pulled through. Everything, the pain, the sadness, the burden, everything is worth it when everything works out in the end._ ))

The ex-players leave quietly. Unlike last time, Tenma doesn't try to stop them and instead simply stares them dead in the eye when they pass him. He looks at them with what his teammates have named the 'captain stare', the one that forces everyone who sees it to face their mistakes head-on. He stares at them quietly, and the disappointment-  _not judging at all, oh no, this is so much worse, this pure disappointment_ –in his gaze makes them shrink away as they pass him.

A few minutes later, Kudou and Haruna walk in. The coach takes a moment to assess the situation and then looks at the captain. ''You're the only ones left?'' he asks.

''Yes, nine in the first team,'' says Shindou. ''This is everyone. It was all I could do.'' The atmosphere is grim and dark.

''It's like rats abandoning a sinking ship, eh?'' asks Hamano, a hopeless smile on his face.

Kurumada looks at him. ''Then doesn't that make us something other than rats?'' he asks.

''That makes us members of the soccer team,'' states Amagi stubbornly.

Shindou, ignoring his bickering teammates, turns to look at the three first-years. ''Matsukaze Tenma, right?'' he asks.

The brunet nods. ''Hai.''

''Thanks for this morning.'' The second-year walks closer. ''I know you did a lot for us, but this is the Raimon soccer club now.'' He smiles sadly at Tenma.

The time traveler scans the group in front of him and offers an easy smile. ''Meh, I've seen worse.'' He shrugs. ''I'm still fine with it~''

''Yeah, me too!'' agrees Shinsuke.

The captain looks at the smaller boy. ''You're a first year too?'' the sad smile has disappeared and now his expression is guarded. Shinsuke nods.

Shindou stares at them for a moment and his face turns dark. ''Don't come here anymore.''

Tenma ignores Shinsuke's shocked gasp next to him and instead stares at the captain in defiance. ''You are a student,'' he reminds the older boy without hesitation. ''You have no right to decide who joins the club and who doesn't. That is handled by the coach.'' The brunet then looks at said coach. ''Coach Kudou, what do we have to do in order to join the club?'' he asks simply.

Kudou looks at him with piercing eyes. ''There is a test,'' he says. ''How about you come here tomorrow after school?''

The two first-years share a look. ''Yes, sir,'' they chorus.

Tenma lets his eyes move over the desolate forms of Raimon's soccer club and hides a frown.  _'Guess_ I'm  _the one who has his work cut out for him, huh…'_


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

**Accidental Reverse Arc 1**

* * *

The next morning, after coming back from his walk with Sasuke, Tenma packs his bag and looks at the old soccer ball on the cupboard. He places a hand on it and takes a calming breath.  _'Things will work out somehow…'_

Soon after it's time for school and the brunet makes his way to the classroom, preparing for a boring day.

( _Time travel sucks, especially if he has to repeat things in school he already learned three years ago. He makes a mental note to make a list later of reasons to kill Fei- it keeps get longer and longer, and it's only been twenty-five hours since this whole mess started._ )

The day passes relatively normal and when the bell signaling the end of the day rings, Tenma, Shinsuke and Aoi quickly make their way to the entrance exam. Thirty minutes later, the two boys and three other students are lined up in front of coach Kudou. The brunet listens calmly as Kudou explains the exam, trying to remember as many details as possible from the first time 'round.

Tenma somehow manages to make it through the exam without too much trouble – or that's what he likes to tell himself. His control over his body has gotten better after almost thirty-six hours of being in the past, but it's so  _frustrating_  because in comparison to his sixteen-year-old body, he's so  _slow_  and  _weak_  and he gets  _tired_  so easily and-

Shindou Takuto is being an absolute  _asshole_ , excuse the language.

He doesn't even try to hold back! After picking himself up from the ground for the umpteenth time already, the brunet makes a mental note-  _how many mental notes does he have already?!_  –to have a  _long_  talk with his best friend in the future about picking on over-excited underclassmen, because that's  _not nice, thank you very much._

At least the damned game maker isn't using his Keshin.

When the exam finally ends-  _after hours_  –the brunet stands up (again!), dusts of his ruined clothes and huffs as he walks past Shindou, muttering something about 'bully-tolerating policy and mean upperclassmen, picking on innocent first-years', to the aggravation of his future teammates.

As the five first-years line up again, Shindou walks past Tenma, loudly murmuring something along the lines of 'how the heck are you innocent?!' and the brunet simply grins.

''I will now announce the results,'' says the coach. ''Those who passed are…''

He pauses for a moment, and Tenma absentmindedly wonders if Shindou and Kudou aren't distinctly related or something, because  _drama much?_

''Matsukaze Tenma. Nishizono Shinsuke.''

The brunet can see the surprised looks on the faces of the upperclassmen, and suddenly demon-Tenma has a devilish idea and he fights to keep a smirk from his face.

The other three first-years protest for a while but when the coach doesn't budge, they grudgingly leave the field, soon followed by Kudou himself.

Not exactly remembering if it really happened, but having enough common sense to speculate that  _yes_ , he'd probably do that, Tenma immediately walks towards the upperclassmen before Shindou has a chance to follow the coach.

He bows deeply, to the surprise of the older students. ''I want to apologize,'' he states sincerely, surprising everyone.

''What for?'' asks Sangoku, obviously bewildered.

Demon-Tenma mentally cackles as the brunet straightens again. ''For having to put up with me for the rest of the year,'' he states solemnly, almost smirking at the stunned expressions. ''I sincerely hope that you will all survive the oncoming months.''

Midori laughs uncomfortably. ''You're weird,'' she states, and the brunet turns to her with an indignant expression.

''On the contrary,'' he says seriously. ''I am merely a very unique being, for, unlike many others, I actually have this wondrous thing called  _common sense_.'' Then a feral grin spreads on his face. ''And a thirst for revenge, not to mention.''

And with that he picks up his bag and runs up the stairs, waving cheerfully at Tsurugi, who was watching the exam and is now staring at the brunet with a twitching eye. ''Bye bye, Stalker-san!'' once he reaches the top of the stairs, the time traveler turns around and waves at his now-once-again-teammates brightly. ''See ya!''

( _Perhaps he spent too much time with Drama Queen Extraordinaire Shindou Takuto._

_But hey, at least it's fun!_ )

* * *

The next two days happen fast. The new first-years introduce themselves to the already soccer club members and soon after they hear about their match with Eito –  _and_  the score of 3-0, Raimon's loss. Before the brunet knows it, he's already standing on the field, trying to convince Shindou to play for real.

The match goes much like it did the first time, eventually ending with the score of 3-1 and Kudou's departure, leaving Raimon without a coach.

When Tenma wakes up the next morning, he stares at the ceiling of his room silently. He knows he should get out of bed, but he's too tired to really care.

Everything that's been happening is taking its toll on him. While messing with his friends is fun, it's also becoming harder every hour. He's constantly on guard-  _because if he slips up, saying something he shouldn't know about, the consequences could be disastrous_  –and it's  _so hard_  to see his friends like this, so cold and distant and pained-  _and he hates it, hates the thought that they were so sad only a few years ago, hates the idea that their older versions were like that once_  –and last but not least, the stress of making everything go like it went before-  _because some things_ have _to happen to make Raimon succeed against Fifth Sector, and it's giving him a migraine to just_ think _about everything that could go wrong_ -

Tenma sighs and groans. ''Ugh, I'm really not cut out for this…'' he grumbles. ''I hardly remember everything that happened, how am I supposed to know what to do!''

There are just so many things that need to be done!

Endou will become Raimon's coach-  _'Not much I can do to mess that up,'_ –he has to keep Shindou from quitting the club-  _'Great, just great. He basically hates me. How am I ever going to pull it off? How did I pull it off in the first place?'_  –somehow he has to change Tsurugi's viewpoint-  _'But he's stubborn as hell, and I didn't exactly make a good start with him… I don't even know all the factors for this one!'_ –the other Raimon members will have to be convinced to play real soccer-  _'Again, didn't make a good start there. Now that coach Kudou is gone, they're less than happy with me,'_  –and more importantly, Raimon will have to become a real team-  _'Which… shouldn't be too hard… once everyone wants to play soccer, that is. For that to happen, Tsurugi will have to stop trying to destroy Raimon and the senpai have to be convinced to go against everything they've known since joining Raimon's team… which will happen once they don't hate me anymore and know how much fun real soccer is, so… oh dear lord, how am I ever going to pull this off? But, let's say I_ do _manage to get everyone to play for real, there is still the issue of the lack of trust between Raimon's members. The senpai can agree with each other for the most part, but they have no trust in me at all, some of them basically hating my guts. Speaking of which, the only player who really gets along with me right now is Shinsuke. Then you have Tsurugi, who isn't trusted by anyone and, likewise, hates everyone else. If Raimon would fight, there are too many weak links, like Minamisawa – who, hopefully, will quit soon – Kurama-senpai, Tsurugi and, even though I hate to admit it, Shindou himself, who is only a straw away from quitting,'_  –and lastly, they'll have to win every single match to beat Fifth Sector-  _'Which should be possible, considering it's happened before. Actually, this is probably the easiest point of all, excluding coach Endou's arrival…'_

The brunet can already feel a headache forming at the list of almost-impossible tasks and closes his eyes tiredly. ''And that's even  _without_  counting everything else! I'll have to try and contact the stupid rabbit, which is basically impossible since there is no technology that has anything to do with time travel right now! That means that my only chances of getting home are waiting till Fei arrives for the first time or till the stupid rabbit manages to find me. Next to that, I'm going to have to improve my soccer skills, since I'm nowhere near my old level… and then, most important of all, safely unlocking my Keshin.'' He groans and opens his eyes again. ''If I'm lucky, it'll be solved once my body is stronger…''

But, as he knows very well, luck is almost  _never_  on his side. As Tenma stares into space, only one thought goes through his mind.

' _I'm screwed.'_

* * *

Later that day, Tenma is training together with Shinsuke in a corner of the field. The senpai are also training, but from the missed passes and shoots, it's clear that they're not really into it. He can feel the glares they should him and hides the hurt he feels at that, because  _these are not his friends._  Eventually he manages to shake it off and training continues like before, the senpai still not really doing their best.

The brunet doesn't really pay attention to it, though, for all he can think about is coach Endou's arrival. His memories tell him that the older soccer player should arrive today, the day after coach Kudou left, but he can't remember exactly when, only that it was somewhere during practice – which will end in two hours.

Soon after it's time for a break. Tenma listens quietly to the conversation about coach Kudou while he pushes a cart with soccer balls together with Shinsuke. ''It's gonna be some guy from Fifth Sector, right?'' states Minamisawa about the new coach, leaning back nonchalantly while flipping his hair. ''As long as we do whatever he orders, it'll look good on our student records.

''And you're fine with that?!'' demands Kurumada.

Minamisawa smiles slightly. ''That's the point of doing soccer in school in the first place, isn't it?'' he flips his hair again.

''So it's gonna be the same no matter who comes, is that it?'' asks Kurama, pessimistic as always.

Suddenly a new voice joins the conversation. ''That's not true!''

Tenma's head whips up and he fights the smile that threatens to appear on his face. He's not supposed to know who the voice belongs to, so there's no reason for him to smile. Even though he knows this, he can't help but be happy when he sees the familiar man again.

Said man walks closer to the staircase that leads to the field, the sun behind him shining brightly and hiding him from view.

( _Tenma wonders if Endou, Shindou, and Kudou aren't secretly related, because their dramatic streak is the same_ [he can't help but ask himself if this is really the Raimon soccer club, and not the Raimon theatre club]  _and seriously people, the whole 'sun-hiding-who-you-are' thing is getting old!_ )

( _Not that it doesn't look cool_ [maybe he should try it once.])

Haruna's face breaks out in a smile as the new coach walks down the stairs. He passes Tsurugi, who watches the man in disdain, and Haruna's smile brightens as his identity is finally revealed.

Endou smiles as the advisor walks forward to greet him. ''It's been a long time!'' she says happily as she bows in greeting.

''Is this everyone?'' asks Endou, scanning the gathered soccer players.

''No, the captain is absent,'' responds Kirino evenly, inspecting the man clad in orange.

The new coach doesn't let his smile falter at the news. ''Okay,'' he says, addressing all players. ''I'm Raimon soccer club's coach starting from today, Endou Mamoru.''

( _Tenma swears the man is enjoying their shocked reactions. He's sure of it._ )

[Not that he  _really_  minds, though.]

''I look forward to working with you all!'' he says brightly. ''Here's the schedule after school,'' continues the keeper once everyone is done with outing their shock. ''We'll be practicing at the riverbank grounds.''

''The riverbank?'' mutters Sangoku, sharing a look with Kurumada.

Kurumada turns back to the coach. ''Why over there?''

Endou's smile widens. ''You might be able to see something that you wouldn't be able to see from the school grounds,'' he says. When Hayami questions why they would need to see something like that, he answers with a simple 'in order to win'.

''If we all train together, Raimon will surely get stronger. I'll be waiting!'' with that, he turns around and leaves the field.

Tenma looks on sadly as the senpai leave the field, obviously done with everything.

' _How am I ever going to pull this off…?'_

* * *

After school, Tenma and Shinsuke make their way to the riverbank. When they arrive, coach Endou is already waiting for them. A moment later, they stand in front of the new coach, who inspects them curiously. ''Matsukaze Tenma.''

Unlike the first time 'round, when he was incredibly nervous, Tenma just gives a lazy wave. ''Hai~''

Endou smiles at him and then looks at the smaller boy. ''Nishizono Shinsuke.''

''Yes, sir!''

The man clad in orange smiles at them. ''I was waiting.'' When Shinsuke gives another 'yes, sir' Endou tilts his head. ''You don't have to be so tense,'' he tells the small boy. ''If you don't loosen up, you might get injured. Just look at Tenma, he's completely relaxed.''

Tenma just grins and shrugs nonchalantly. ''What can I say? You don't seem like the scary type,'' he tells his ( _favorite_ ) coach, who laughs.

''Unlike coach Kudou, I'm sure,'' says the man, a mischievous glance in his dark eyes.

The brunet's grin widens. ''Coach Kudou? Nah, he seemed like the rainbow flowery type!''

Endou stares at him for a moment, but then smiles in amusement and shakes his head. ''You're very interesting, Tenma!'' he says.

The grin on the time traveler's face shrinks to a mysterious smile. ''Oh, you have no idea~''

Shinsuke watches the two of them for a moment but then follows Endou's advice and looks at the coach eagerly. ''Um, what are we going to do for training?''

Endou looks over his shoulder and the first-years follow his gaze. Next to the goal are some red traffic cones. ''That. Tenma, lay those out and line them up evenly.'' He turns back to the brunet. ''Dribbling is your specialty, right?''

Tenma stares at him with an unreadable expression for a moment. ''Oh. Look Shinsuke, it's another stalker.''

Shinsuke chokes on air and Endou blinks in shock, opening his mouth to say something but then closing it, completely speechless.

''T-Tenma!'' says the smaller boy after he stopped choking. ''Why do you keep accusing people of being stalkers?!''

Endou looks interested. ''He's done this before?'' he asks the blue-headbanded boy, who nods.

''Hai, coach,'' answers Shinsuke. ''I heard he started with Tsurugi, then me and now you!''

''Aha…'' Raimon's new coach looks at Tenma again. ''And may I ask  _why_  you call people stalkers?''

The brunet huffs indignantly. ''You make it sounds like I call everyone I meet a stalker,'' he mutters. ''Well, when I met Kyousuke-kun, he was all like 'you're a soccer newbie' and we hadn't even talked for five minutes yet, so there's no way he could've known how long I played soccer. Then, about two hours later, Shinsuke suddenly started talking to me, already knowing my name and class before he even introduced himself, and now you seem to know all about my soccer abilities,'' he sums up. ''The only possibilities I can come up with is that you are all mind-readers, or that all three of you have done research on me. Since the first option seems kind of impossible, it leaves the last, which would basically make you all stalkers.''

Endou stares at him blankly.

Shinsuke  _actually_ facepalms.

Tenma smiles brightly. ''It's called common sense,'' he informs the other two calmly.

The coach raises an eyebrow. ''I see,'' he says calmly. ''I can assure you, I'm not a stalker.''

The brunet narrows his eyes suspiciously. ''That sounds exactly like something a stalker would say.'

''Tenma,  _please,''_  mutters Shinsuke exasperated. ''Could we continue with practice?''

After a moment of thought, the time traveler nods slowly. Endou takes this as his sign to continue. ''Very well then. As I was saying, your specialty is dribbling. We'll polish up that first. Go back and forth on the grounds until I say you're ready.''

Tenma nods. ''Hai~'' and then leaves the other two to start his training. After the preparations are ready, he starts his training, eyes burning with a determined fire.

When the ball once again rolls away and the brunet walks towards it, he looks up at the bridge over the field, seeing a familiar person standing there. For a moment, he simply stares at the pink-haired boy, as if to say that he's been spotted, but then continues with his training.

Even when the sun starts to set, they're still training. Then Endou decides that it's time to move on, and he shoots a ball high into the air. ''Okay, next drill!'' he calls, running over the field and stealing the ball. ''Tenma, dribble while going after me! When I make the call, pass it to Shinsuke!''

They continue the new practice, and out of the corner of his eye the brunet can spot two familiar figures standing on the bridge.  _'So they've come, huh…'_  he focuses his attention back on the exercise, deciding there's not much he can do about Shindou and Kirino right now.

While running over the field, he spots his other teammates watching the training.  _'They've all come.'_  Somehow, he's not surprised.

He can feel the exhaustion wearing on him and notices that Shinsuke seems to be tired as well, but both of them don't care. ''What's wrong, worn out?'' Endou smiles encouragingly at them.

Tenma straightens and smiles back. ''Not yet!''

''Me neither!'' agrees Shinsuke.

The coach nods approvingly and starts to run again. ''All right, let's keep going!''

Even when they both stumble and fall, the two friends don't care and stand up again. Tenma can feel himself smiling at the first feeling of  _real_ soccer he's experienced since coming to the past.  _'This… this is it. This is my- no,_ our _soccer!'_

''Nice work! Don't give up to the very end!'' calls Endou.

They continue but eventually Tenma misses a pass. With a feeling of dread he looks up, already knowing where the ball ended up.

And indeed, the ball is lying in front of the staircase that leads to the road. On top of the staircase is a familiar figure, clad in purple and red.

''Tsurugi,'' says the brunet softly as Endou walks past him.

''Oh, you came, Tsurugi!'' he smiles and waves. ''Could you get that ball for us?''

The striker's eyes narrow. ''What?''

''Let's play soccer!'' calls Endou cheerfully, not worried in the slightest.

Suddenly the Seed seems a lot more dangerous. ''It's makes my blood boil…'' he hisses. ''Your 'let's play soccer', that is!''

( _Huh, seems like Tsu-chan's also part of the Drama Family._ )

Endou turns around and smiles at the other, hidden Raimon members. ''Hey! Don't stay back, guys. Come on out!'' soon, the senpai join the two first-years in front of the goal. ''For starters, show me your kick strength.'' Endou hits his hand with his fist, still smiling. ''One shoot each.'' Kurama tch's and walks forward. ''Okay, we'll start with Kurama.''

The teenager easily shoots the ball in the goal, scowling. Endou looks at in surprise for a moment and then turns back to the teenager with a big smile on his face. ''Nice shoot! Just what I'd expect from Raimon's forward.''

Kurama looks down uncertainly and then walks away. Hamano is the next one to shoot. One by one, they hit the net easily. Then Tenma's up and, like the first time, he misses. He stares at the ball for a moment. ''Oh, I missed,'' he states blankly. ''Shame.''

The coach smiles at him. ''That kick power was pretty intense,'' he compliments.

The brunet smiles back brightly. ''Thanks, stalker coach!'' he beams.

Endou points to himself questioningly, even as the Raimon members gape at the brunet. '''Stalker coach'?'' he repeats and the brunet just grins. After a moment, the man chuckles and turns to Tsurugi. ''Last is Tsurugi!'' everyone turns to look at the Seed, who grits his teeth. ''You're the only one left,'' reminds Endou. ''Let's play soccer!''

''Fine… I'll do it,'' hisses the blue-haired boy, and calmly walks down the stairs until he reaches the ball that is still lying there innocently. He moves to the middle of the field, the Raimon members automatically moving out of the way of the goal.

The Seed places a foot on the ball, standing face to face with Endou. For a moment, all is silent, but then Tsurugi moves. Everyone easily recognizes the movements for his hissatsu. Tsurugi kicks the ball that is surrounded by blueish black energy.  **''Death Sword!''**

It moves towards the coach with incredibly speed and strength. Even so, the coach keeps smiling and when the ball reaches him, he closes his eyes and tilts his head, letting the ball harmlessly pass him and hit the goal.

As the ball rolls back, Endou grins at the Seed. ''That was an awesome shoot! You're good!''

Tsurugi grits his teeth in disbelief. ''What a joke.'' He leaves the field angrily, nobody stopping him.

Endou ends the practice there. ''So what is it we weren't able to see from the school grounds?'' questions Kurama.

The coach walks closer so he can address the team. ''You all came here to train for winning, right? Then you've seen it.'' He smiles at them. ''The faces of your friends with their goal set for victory.'' He balls his fist. ''The faces of the guys who want to play real soccer.'' The Raimon members share hesitant looks. ''I'll be waiting for you at the school grounds tomorrow!''

* * *

Not long after, Shinsuke, Tenma and the three managers are walking home, when the future keeper suddenly stops. ''Tenma, where's your stuff?'' he asks.

The brunet blinks. ''I forgot,'' he says after realizing the smaller boy is right. He waves at them as he turns around. ''Go ahead without me!''

When he reaches the riverbank, he sees coach Endou walking up the stairs. In one arm he has a soccer ball and in the other he carries Tenma's bag. He holds it up when he sees the brunet. ''You forgot something.''

Tenma smiles at him as he takes the bag and the ball. ''Thank you!''

While the coach hands the stuff over, he looks at the time traveler curiously. ''Why did you come to practice?'' he questions.

The brunet blinks in surprise, but then his expression turns determined. ''Because I want to play soccer! I'm not good at all yet, but I love soccer!''

Endou beams. ''I see! I'll be waiting for you tomorrow, Tenma.''

''Okay, stalker coach!''

Said coach chuckles at the nickname. ''Never thought one of my players would call me that,'' he says. ''Kind of refreshing, actually, not to be treated like some kind of god.''

The brunet shoots him a bright grin. ''What can I say, I-''

That's when it happens.

For a moment, Tenma's vision becomes blurry and the only sound he hears is the rushing of his blood. His whole body feels weak and for a split second he can't think clearly.

Then it's over and he opens his eyes, which he had closed, as reality returns.

He's panting heavily as if he just ran a marathon and his whole body is trembling. With a start he realizes that Endou has both hands on his shoulders to keep him upright. The coach looks at him worriedly. ''Tenma, are you okay?''

The brunet straightens and nods, which makes his head spin. ''H-hai,'' he says a little breathlessly. ''I- what happened?''

The man shakes his head. ''I don't know,'' he admits. ''You suddenly just stumbled and I caught you. How are you feeling?'' his dark eyes are filled with concern.

Tenma smiles weakly. ''I'm fine, just felt a little weak is all,'' he tries to reassure the man.

Endou's eyes narrow but he nods anyway. ''Maybe you're just a bit tired from training,'' he states finally. ''You should go home and get some rest.''

''Hai, coach,'' says the time traveler softly as he turns around to leave. After having taken a few steps he looks over his shoulder. ''Oh, and coach? Thanks.''

The keeper smiles. ''You're welcome.''

With that the brunet leaves.

* * *

' _That… should not have happened,'_  thinks Tenma as he falls on his bed, still exhausted from his little episode earlier.  _'I'd remember if something like this happened the first time. No way was I just exhausted from practice. I might not be very good yet, but I'm not at a point where I'd almost collapse after a few hours of training.'_

He looks at the ceiling of his room and breathes out slowly. ''But then why… what was that?'' whispers the brunet to himself. ''I'm liking this less every day…''

The time traveler curls up on his bed, his eyelids drooping from the exhaustion that overtakes him. ''What's going on… I shouldn't be so tired…''

But no matter how hard he tries to think of a reasonable explanation, nothing comes up.


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

**Accidental Reverse Arc 1**

* * *

Saturday morning comes too fast for Tenma's liking.

He groans and looks at his alarm clock, which reads 5:12.  _'Great. For some reason I woke up three hours early.'_

Knowing training will only start in four hours, he tries to get some more sleep, but it doesn't work. After ten minutes he gives up and instead stares at the ceiling of his room.

' _Has it really only been five days? It seems much longer.'_  The brunet's thoughts stray in the direction of his friends in the future.  _'How are they doing? Have the first-years caused trouble yet, or are the senpai keeping them in line?'_

He turns to face the wall, curling up in a ball as he thinks about his friends. ''I miss them,'' he whispers softly.  _'It's so hard, being here… they don't know me. They don't even like me, yet they look so much like_ my _teammates…'_

Tenma shakes his head and turns on his other side, trying to think of something else. Eventually his thoughts return to the events from yesterday.

He went to Shindou's house ( _and_ no _he did not stalk the captain. He still remembered where Shindou's house was from the many times he's been there in the future, when he was_ invited _over by Takuto-san himself_ ) and convinced said game maker to train with him and Shinsuke at the riverbank.

From there on, he  _finally_  managed to master Soyokaze Step and, with a little help of coach Endou, stopped Shindou from quitting the soccer club.

' _Okay, so… two things are done. One: Endou Mamoru became Raimon's coach, and two: Shindou Takuto has been stopped from quitting the club. All in all, not bad… but what now?'_

Tenma rolls on his back and stares at the ceiling again. ''Shindou isn't going to quit,'' he whispers softly to himself. ''But that does not mean he has warmed up to  _me_. I'm not sure  _when_  he actually starts to see me as a friend… but I do know that things with the other players, especially Kurama-senpai, will get worse now.''

He groans.  _'Oh gosh, this is too much. The only one who is really on my side is Shinsuke, and maybe coach Endou. Of course I shouldn't forget Aoi, Akane-senpai and Mirdori-senpai, but… between the other players, they're probably the worst. Shinsuke's in basically the same situation as me, being a new first-year, and the managers are not players, so the senpai will feel a certain distance to them. Lastly coach Endou… Shindou would probably go along with him now, but further than that he doesn't have much influence yet either…'_

With a sigh, realizing he probably won't get any more sleep anyway, the brunet sits up and looks out of the window at the dark sky.  _'I don't want them to get hurt. I'll protect them, if it's the last thing I do,_ ' he tells himself.  _'I promise.'_

But even to his endless determination comes an end and his resolve falters.  _'That's what I want to do.'_  His thoughts return to the impossibility of his task.

' _I can't do this…'_

''But I don't have a choice,'' he whispers sadly. ''I  _have_  to do this, I  _have_ to protect everyone, but…''

He lets himself fall back on his bed, finally allowing some of his weakness to seep through.

''I just want to go  _home_.''

* * *

Luckily, he manages to get a few hours more of sleep. Later that morning, he's getting dressed and almost ready to head out to Raimon. The sun is shining outside and the TV is on.

'' _The opening ceremony for the JHS soccer tournament, Holy Road, in Kanto, will take place in one week, as preparations for it are moving along.''_  Tenma pulls his shirt over his head, listening quietly to the TV.  _''In Kanto's A Block, Raimon Jr. High, who won second place in last year's Nationals, will be up against Mannouzaka Jr. High, Tengawara Jr. High, and Aoba Academy, all aiming for the Nationals championship.''_  The brunet looks at the TV as he zips up his jacket.  _''Which two of these teams will take the lead in this tournament and proceed to the Nationals?''_

Grey eyes narrow. ''Which one indeed?''

Soon after Tenma makes his way to school. He's early for morning practice but he doesn't mind, since he's used to it. He started the habit of getting to practice early when he started at Raimon-  _most of the time anyway_  –because he could never wait to play soccer-  _except for those far in between times he accidentally overslept, which… weren't as far in between as he likes to think_ –but that changed after his second year as Raimon's captain.

After the third-years graduated, things changed. A lot. As Fifth Sector was gone and Raimon's reputation started to grow a bit-

( _Well, not exactly 'a bit'. Tenma is proud to say that his team was the strongest Jr. High team in Japan for all three years that he was captain. After seeing again how much they struggled in the beginning, it only intensified- they'd come_ so far _from when they started out!_ )

-so did the soccer club. Due to an excess of club registrations, the second team was reintroduced because there was  _no way_  that all those people could join the first team! Still, it was different from before. Tenma had started to take his captain duty really serious after returning from the Grand Celesta Galaxy, and had put hours of work into finding out all he could about the club.

He'd discussed plans, ideas and speculations with Shindou, coach Endou, Sangoku and some of the other second and third-years. They'd given advice about the way the club was run before, and Endou had a lot to say about his own time in high school.

They'd known a lot of people would join the soccer club next year, because… well, they were the  _best of the best_ , champions of Japan and with  _four_  players who joined Japan's National team and won, two of which didn't have any real experience before joining Raimon.

Tenma had been dead-set on making sure the next year would go smoothly. Everyone deserved the chance to play soccer, but they couldn't just very well let everyone join on their own devices! Coach Endou had (reluctantly) agreed with his ideals and the captain had decided to think of a whole new system to deal with all the new players.

And eventually, after putting hour after hour into it for weeks on end, he finally figured it out. Raimon's soccer club would reintroduce the old team-system, depending on how many new players there would be. Said players could join the club if they liked soccer ( _Tenma had agreed with Endou's ideals that they should like the sport- no reason being there against their will!_ ) and there was a big tournament on the first Friday of the schoolyear to test their skills and sort them into the team they belonged. That way, new students had a week to join the club before the tournament.

Of course, anyone who joined the club later could do so easily. They would be personally questioned about their own opinion on their talents, and then tested by more experienced players to see if they were right.

This is where the big change came in. Tenma had not been happy with the old system, which existed out of letting the second team train under orders of their captain and sometimes the coach, and let them notify the coach when they thought they were ready to move onto the next team, for which they would be tested.

He had seen a lot of problems with this. Since the coach was very busy with the first team, who played in matches the most, the second team had been left on their own to train. First mistake.  _This way, they didn't get the help of the coach who could give them advice and point out what they should work on_. Then there was the fact that, due to the lack of a coach, they were completely dependent on each other and could be training completely useless things for all they knew – that way, they'd never improve. Second mistake.  _Without a coach, they didn't know the flaws that only a professional player could see and would never get better._ Then lastly, by letting them depend on each other- which could be great or drastic for the teamwork, depending on the players –and letting them decide for themselves when they thought to be ready for the first team, there were no clear standards for said team, except for the believe that they were like gods (which they weren't, as Tenma pointed out to his senpai after they explained the system (they had chuckled sheepishly and agreed that their system had quite a few flaws)). Third mistake.  _They wouldn't be able to estimate when they were really ready to play on a higher level._

So, he'd come up with a new system to deal with the teams. Every month, a tournament would be held. During this tournament, there would be matches and other team activities, but also individual ones. The tournaments were a lot of fun  _and_  were organized by the soccer club themselves, so didn't cost any money for the school, since they basically used everything they already had and just used them in a different, creative way.

These tournaments improved Raimon's team spirit – between senpai and kohai, between player and player, between team and team. It was the perfect way to let the players from all teams get to know each other. This way, the 'god' believes about the first team were stopped before they even started, players from the second team wouldn't mind asking for help from those of the first team, and the most important: players of the second team got to  _know_  the first team. They learned about their talents and flaws, they learned that the first team was human and that it was possible to reach their level if they really wanted to.

Furthermore, these tournaments served to test the skills of every player, second and first team. If a player was ready to move onto the higher team, or if a player had some hidden potential, the more experienced players could point it out to the coach, who didn't have to do everything on his own anymore.

Another change was the 'assistant-coaches'. Since coach Endou was busy with keeping the first team in check, there was less time for the second team. Tenma had a  _nice and long_  talk with the chairman about this problem, and since said chairman wanted to make up for everything that happened with Fifth Sector (because Raimon had become so influential, they could get him removed from his position within the course of a few days) he  _generously_  agreed to the captain's plans.

The second team had a personal coach, chosen by the real coach, who was just for them and could easily help them ( _Tachimukai had been pleasantly surprised to be asked as assistant-coach and had immediately accepted_ ). Furthermore, Tenma became the 'real' captain of the club, who dealt with the personal issues of the players. The second team got an 'assistant-captain', who had basically the same tasks as a normal captain- representative of the team, keeping the peace –but also answered to Tenma. During the tournaments, there would be a short meeting between the captain and the assistant-captain(s), in which the assistant-captain(s) could inform the captain about anything that might be relevant. The captain could then give advice or discuss the topic with the coaches, leading to faster, smarter and easier ways to solve any problem that might arise.

It was a constant circle which kept itself in balance. To say it took long to come up with this is an understatement. To say that the senpai and the coach were impressed with Tenma's new ideas is an even bigger understatement.

All in all, when the new schoolyear came around, the soccer club was the most successful club of all ( _to the anger of the tennis club_ ).

'' _This is going well.'' Tenma is sitting on one of the stairs that lead to the outside field, looking out over the second 'tournament', and looks over his shoulder when he hears a voice suddenly talk to him. ''If it'd been anyone else who came up with the idea, I would've called them crazy. With you, however, I was sure it'd 'work out somehow'.''_

_Tsurugi smiles at his friend as he sits down next to him, looking at the mix of second and first players. Said friend answers the smile with one of his own, not like his usual bright ones but a relaxed one instead. ''Yep, it's going pretty well,'' he agrees. ''Anything interesting happened yet?''_

_The navy-haired forward chuckles. ''Other than Shinsuke being overrun by first-years who want to ask 'Nishizono-senpai' about the world tournament? Nope, not really.''_

_The brunet laughs. ''I wonder why they always ask him. I mean, we were there too, and so was Shi- I mean, Takuto-san,'' he says, correcting himself when he almost calls his favorite ex-captain 'Shindou-san' as always._

_Tsurugi's chuckles die down, but he can't keep the calm smile from his face. Not that Tenma minds it – it's a beautiful day, everyone's happy, and there's just that mood that makes you want to laugh. And, of course, the fact that his best friend doesn't smile all_ that _often, though it's getting better. ''Well, it's probably because Takuto-san is a bit… regal, I suppose,'' states Raimon's forward eventually._

_The brunet blinks. ''Regal?'' he repeats questioningly._

_His friend nods. ''Yeah. Takuto-san is nice, and he's really popular with the first-years, but he's just got this aura… he's confident, calm and always in control. I guess the first-years are just a bit awed by him,'' he explains._

'' _Hm.'' The captain smiles when he sees Hikaru, surrounded by a bunch of new players, who seems to be in the middle of telling a story. He's doing it quite good as well, since they're all watching with wide eyes._

_The purple-haired boy must've felt eyes on him, for he looks up and their eyes meet. The slightly younger boy blinks in surprise but then a bright smile spreads over his face and he waves cheerfully. Tenma laughs softly as he waves back, amused by the awed expressions from the first-years who are now looking at him as well. Hikaru says something to them, and, after a bit of hesitation, the first-years wave timidly. The brunet chuckles again and responds with a bright grin and thumbs-up._

'' _I guess I can understand what you mean,'' he says as Hikaru continues with his story. ''He's nice and kind and all… but I suppose they'd feel a bit nervous about disappointing him, right?'' he glances at Tsurugi, who nods, still with a content smile on his face._

'' _Exactly,'' agrees the navy-haired boy. ''Then you have me. As you probably know, I'm not very social.'' Tenma smiles when he hears his best friend admit that so easily, something he wouldn't have done only half a year ago. ''I guess I look kind of intimidating sometimes, and while they know I wouldn't hurt them, they're not comfortable enough with me to ask for stories.''_

_Tenma can't keep himself from teasing the forward. ''Really? But you're such a good story-teller~ maybe I should create an event for the next tournament? 'Tsurugi Kyousuke's supernova stories'?''_

_The other rolls his eyes. ''We're still all wondering where you got that attitude from,'' he mutters, referring to their other friends. ''You used to be so innocent.''_

_The brunet laughs cheerfully, his voice echoing over the field. ''Oh Kyou, I was never innocent,'' he chuckles._

_Tsurugi rolls his eyes. ''Of course not,'' he mutters disbelievingly. ''Anyway, the first-years. They don't easily talk to me or Takuto-san, and while you're obviously the most open of us three… you're still 'Captain Matsukaze'.'' He puts up a high-pitched, awed voice at the title and Tenma tries to slap him, but the forward easily dodges. ''He's so amazing and busy and we mustn't disturb Captain!'' he continues, still using the high-pitched voice._

_The brunet rolls his eyes and shakes his head good-naturally. ''Hai, hai,'' he smiles. ''And I was so looking forward to being called Matsukaze-senpai! But no, even students who aren't from the soccer club call me Captain,'' he complains, still with an amused smile decorating his face._

_The navy-haired player sighs and smiles at his best friend's behavior. ''You're famous. Deal with it.''_

_Tenma grabs the shirt above his heart, gasping in fake hurt. ''So cold!''_

'' _What's cold?'' asks a voice from behind them and the two second-years turn around. The new arrival smiles warmly at them, wearing the familiar yellow-blue jersey, his wavy hair slightly longer than the year before and now hold up in a short ponytail._

'' _Takuto-san!'' the brunet smiles as the third-year sits down as well, but then pouts. ''Kyousuke's being a real meany.''_

_The older boy raises an eyebrow in amusement. ''How so?''_

_Tenma huffs, but Tsurugi cuts him off before he can say something. ''Oh, we really can't disturb Captain Matsukaze!'' he continues in the overly-peppy voice, smirking at his brunet friend. ''He's just so amazing and fantastic! We mustn't disturb him with our questions for stories!''_

_Shindou snorts in amusement as Tenma crosses his arms stubbornly. ''Oh, then what about Tsurugi-senpai?'' returns the captain equally, using the same high voice as the forward. ''He's so scary and intimidating! I'm afraid he'll skin us alive if we don't kiss the ground he walks on!''_

_The navy-haired player shakes his head in amusement and the game maker chuckles. ''So that's what this is about,'' he says amusedly. ''You're acting like little kids.''_

_The two younger teenagers look insulted for a moment but then share a devious look, making Takuto regret what he just said as Tsurugi smirks and speaks up, still using the peppy voice. ''Speaking of the senpai, what about Shindou-sama? He's just_ so _calm and collected! He's so cool!''_

_Tenma grins and continues. ''He's always so confident and regal! Shindou-sama is just soooo great!'' he fake-swoons, high-fiving Kyousuke._

_Shindou blinks. ''Regal?'' he repeats._

_Tsurugi nods. ''Yeah. You always seem in control of what you do, so I suppose the first-years would be nervous about disappointing you,'' he explains._

_The brunet nods in agreement. ''Yep. Kyou's a bit too intimidating and I'm… well, I'm the captain and apparently I'm too amazing to be bothered. So sadly, that leaves Shinsuke to tell about our adventures in space.''_

_Takuto laughs quietly and looks out over the field. ''Aha. I was wondering how you got onto this topic,'' he mutters. ''Let me guess, Shinsuke was being chased by first-years again?'' he hums, obviously amused at the nods he receives._

'' _And then Tenma started to complain about his fame,'' comments Kyousuke dryly, once again narrowly avoiding the slap that would've hit the back of his head otherwise._

_Tenma huffs at the second failed attempt to hit his best friend and pointedly turns his head away. Takuto laughs at their antics, content with the currently relaxed mood. ''You know, these new plans are really working out well,'' he says after a moment of silence._

_The brunet grins. ''I told you it would work out somehow!''_

'' _You did?'' asks Tsurugi, faking surprise. He grins at the glare send his way. ''Don't blame me if I'm getting a little forgetful. You always say things will work out, and I'm not keeping track,'' he teases._

_The brunet returns the grin. ''Or maybe you're just getting old.''_

_Kyousuke rolls his eyes. ''Tenma, I am two months older than you are,'' he states dryly._

_The three friends continue to tease each other for a while longer, until it's time for them to go down and join the other players._

Tenma blinks when he realizes he's already reached the school. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice he is already at the field.

Shaking his head in hopes of clearing his mind from the memories, he makes his way to the clubroom. When he enters the room, he looks at the clock and does a double take when he realizes he's almost forty minutes early for practice.

' _How did I not notice how early I left?! How did Aki-nee not notice how early I left?!'_

He sighs. ''Guess I can use this time to train,'' he mutters to himself, discarding his bag in one of the lockers and quickly changing into his uniform. The brunet grabs a ball and makes his way to the field, the fresh air sharpening his mind.

''What to do, what to do…'' he wonders out loud. ''Shoots? Dribbling? Speed?'' then another idea comes to mind, and the first-year frowns thoughtfully. ''…Keshin?'' he whispers. ''Now's probably the only time I've got to see how far it actually goes.''

The time traveler groans. ''Ugh, I'm going to get a headache before the day is over. Fei, I blame you for this,'' he says even though he knows no one is there to hear him.

Deciding to just go with whatever feels right, Tenma stretches to make sure he won't injure himself and then closes his eyes, slowing his breath as he completely relaxes.

( _Guess those meditation lessons Sangoku-san wanted everyone to attend did work out after all_ ( _Sangoku had forced the entire team to sit through meditation lessons after they got into a huge fight which eventually involved snakes, music, explosions and raining chickens_ [some were even forced to go through therapy [the players, not the chickens]] _and they all dutifully went, because no one wants to deal with an aggravated Sangoku_ ).  _It was funny seeing how much the keeper could influence his friends even though one half was in High School and the other was still in Jr. High._ )

( _Tenma still remembers what happened when his teammates who were forced to go to therapy tried to refuse-_ (''Shut up, Kurumada! You are  _going_  and you are going to work out your issues! Or so help me, for I  _will_  show you why they're calling me the Flaming Rock Keeper!'')  _–because it was one of the rare times that Sangoku showed his dark side_ ( _and according to his teammates, the captain enjoyed it way too much_ [but only because they'd managed to slip some alcohol in the drinks at the joint school party and got half of the school population drunk] _and his evil cackles could be heard in the background through the whole ideal._ )

His breathing starts to even out and the sounds become distant, replaced by his own heartbeat echoing through his ears. His body is starting to feel warm, a familiar warmth yet different at the same time.

Not a slow and calming heat flow, like he normally feels when he uses his Keshin, bending the heat to his will and letting it follow his commands.

No, instead it is a raging, quickly spreading forest fire, devouring everything in its path. Tenma recoils at the hurtful energy. The amount of destruction it could cause if it was left to run free…

' _Is this what happened to Zanark's Keshin?'_ he wonders.  _'Yet this feels… different, almost. Zanark's Keshin was 'locked' and fighting against the shackles that kept it in place. It couldn't settle because it wanted to be free, and so it fought.'_

An image of Zanark's shackled Keshin flashes through his mind, and he shivers as he remembers the rampaging power radiating off of it before Nishiki freed it.

' _But this… it's like it's not fighting against something, more like something is forcefully keeping it awake, while my Keshin should still be mostly dormant at this point in time. But what? What is interfering, what is keeping the energy from settling down like it should've after being awakened for small periods of time?'_

Slowly he reaches out to the energy, cautiously looking for any sign that it will attack and overpower him like it did before.

Suddenly it lashes out and he flinches back, his eyes snapping open. He's panting heavily, sweat covering his forehead even though he hasn't even done anything yet.

Still a bit shocked from the strange experience, the brunet slowly starts to dribble in hopes of taking his mind off of what happened only minutes ago, a frown decorating his face. ''This… is going to be harder than expected,'' he whispers softly.

He has almost reached the goal now, and the brunet waits for the right moment to shoot-  _after all, his shooting skills are still pathetically low_ –and then kicks the ball with all his mind-  _because his shooting power is pathetically low as well._

The ball cuts through the air like an arrow, faster than Tenma can blink, and hits the net where it stays for a few seconds, spinning harshly, before bouncing back and lying on the ground. Smoke rises up from it.

The brunet gapes at the shot he just made. It might not have been the most accurate, but  _heck_  that's a shot worthy of an ace striker like Tsurugi!

''How…?'' he trails off, his mouth suddenly dry.  _'That shot shouldn't have been so powerful… even in my real body, that would've been one of my strongest shots. So how can I possibly make it now…?'_

His eyes widen in realization.

''It can't be…''

* * *

Not long after, other players start to show up as well. Tenma greets the senpai politely yet a little absentmindedly, still trying to work out the details of his theory.  _'It's no use. I need more information if I want to confirm it…'_

When Shindou arrives, he's soon approached by Sangoku, a few surprised looks being thrown in their direction. After all, only yesterday everyone seemed to be certain that the captain would resign.

Soon after, they all gather in the clubroom, waiting for their coach to arrive. Soon after said coach arrives, walking through the door without his usual smile. ''Our match-up for the first match in Holy Road has been decided,'' he decides as he makes his way to the front and faces the team. ''Raimon is up against Tengawara Jr. High.''

''Those guys are well known for playing dirty,'' comments Agami.

''More like they use a lot of rough plays,'' says Hamano.

Hayami uncomfortably shifts in his seat. ''They're strong already as it is, so that just makes them ridiculously scary,'' he complains.

The screen behind Endou flickers on, showing Tengawara's match formation. ''Tengawara's team uses a very solid defense formation,'' he tells them, continuing on giving them information about their opponent. ''Shindou, your judgment as captain will be the key to this match.''

Shindou's mouth falls open as he stares at the coach, and then whips his head around to look at Tsurugi, who smirks. The captain looks back at the coach. ''Coach, weren't you notified of the order from Fifth Sector?''

Tenma watches silently how his teammates start to freak out. ''What is it? Who wins?'' demands Agami.

''2-0, Tengawara's win,'' says Tsurugi suddenly, still smirking.

( _Tenma wants to wipe that smirk off his face. It doesn't suit him at all._ )

The brunet listens without any expression to the careless reactions. ''Hey now, we came second to the championship last year,'' says Hamano, not seeming to be really bothered by it. ''Wouldn't it be strange to suddenly lose on the first round?''

''It's all because we went against their orders for the Eito Academy match,'' exclaims Hayami, hanging his shoulders. ''What else could it be?''

Kurama, who is sitting next to Hayami, glares at Tenma who is sitting behind the three. ''This is what we get when you do whatever you please without thinking.''

Tenma has to keep from reacting and instead just looks back blankly.  _'On the contrary. Fifth Sector is probably one of the things I've been thinking about most since I got here.'_

Meanwhile, Sangoku looks at Endou. ''Coach, why didn't you tell us?''

''Because there was no need to tell you,'' responds Endou without a moment of doubt. ''We're going to win this match.''

' _Yay~'_

Tsurugi chuckles coldly, a mirthful smile on his face. ''Now this is a surprise. So you're going to ignore Fifth Sector's order, coach?'' the mocking tone as he speaks the last word is impossible to miss.

''Who would ever want a match where you intend to lose from the start?'' returns Endou, not fazed in the slightest by the striker's behavior.

Sangoku stands up. ''If you do that, the soccer club will be finished for sure this time!'' he protests.

The time traveler hides a smile.  _'Time to interfere~'_

Endou smiles, about to respond when another voice cuts him off. ''That's not true.''

Everyone looks at the brunet who's sitting without any expression, his posture not giving anything away. Even the burning confidence is hidden from his eyes. ''Huh?'' asks Sangoku.

The future captain mentally smirks as he starts to talk. ''If we were to go against Fifth Sector, hypothetically speaking, they wouldn't be able to do anything to us.'' He continues before anyone can react. ''Raimon was second last year, correct?''

He directs his question as Sangoku, who nods uncertainly, not sure where this is going.

''Well, people will keep an eye out for Raimon,'' says Tenma confidently. ''That's a given. If we were to win the next match, the attention would focus even more on us. It's natural.'' He pauses to rearrange his thoughts for a moment, and then continues speaking. ''Because of this, Fifth Sector can't use their dirty little tactics to get rid of us, they can't force us to quit. I mean, in the middle of the biggest tournament in the Japanese youth soccer world, wouldn't it be really suspicious if one team suddenly lost a lot, if not all, of its members? They can't possibly create a reason that would explain why so many players would suddenly quit at the same time.''

The time traveler lets his words sink in for a moment and then starts talking again. ''From the inside out, that's basically the only thing they could do to us – get us suspended from the team in some way, but again, they can't create a good enough reason to tell the public to get away with it. Again, same goes for pulling Raimon out of the tournament – without real, solid proof, it won't work. So getting rid of us in secret is already ruled out.

''Then you have the possibility of confronting us head-on. Beating us up… again, the public would find it suspicious to suddenly find the whole Raimon team covered in bruises. They could try to beat us by using a team that doesn't have any open connections to Fifth Sector and then step in to save the day, but they probably don't have many secret teams at their disposal. And even if they do, we are not forced to accept a match from a strange team, and while it might be a bit suspicious on our part, we could use the excuse that we want to focus on Holy Road without any distractions. Fifth Sector can't force us, since it would look like the team doesn't have any connections to them, so forcing us to play would be suspicious as well. Teams that are known to be working with Fifth Sector wouldn't work either, since people would wonder why Fifth Sector wouldn't step in if they were to beat us up.''

Tenma scans the hesitating looks on the faces of his teammates, deciding to give one more push. ''So this basically rules out any actions they could take in secret or in public. Outside of soccer, they can't do much either. They might be influential in the soccer world, but even Fifth Sector can't win against the authorities.'' He hides a wicked grin and instead closes his eyes in satisfaction. ''In other words, they can't do  _anything_  to us. Because they've hidden their bad side from the public, they basically dug their own grave. Showing it now would cause such an uproar that the whole organization would collapse within a matter of weeks.''

When the time traveler opens his eyes, his teammates can swear his grey orbs are glowing with blue light. ''Fifth Sector has ruled by using fear for  _years_  now, and because of that constantly instilled fear, people won't rebel easily. And that's Fifth Sector's downfall.'' His lips twitch upwards. ''They've become careless and now they've been driven into a corner, without any possible way to get out except for beating us fair and square.''

His teammates gape at him, and Tenma mentally smiles.  _'Say hello to logic. You're gonna get a lot of it this time 'round~'_

''How- how do you know that?'' asks Sangoku with wide, shocked eyes.

The brunet shrugs. ''Well, I gave it a lot of thought,'' he answers. ''And honestly, it's not that hard to think up. Just think logically, and everyone can figure it out,'' he says, hinting silently. ''It's called common sense, you know.''

( _Because, honestly,_ everyone _here can use some common sense in the near future._ )

The keeper bites his lip and clenches his fists. ''It's not like I want to lose on purpose,'' he says finally, frustration blazing in his eyes. ''But right now, we can't just play soccer for fun. There is no proof that what you say is true-''

' _Then why do I see a spark of hesitation in your eyes, Sangoku-san?'_

''-and coach, you should understand it as well.'' He focuses on Endou. ''How we're all putting up with it for our future…''

''No, I don't get it,'' disagrees Endou. ''I don't even want to try. If that kind of soccer is useful for your future, then it's not even soccer anymore.''

Sangoku slumps forward slightly. ''I can't agree with you on this,'' he says, shooting a look at Tenma, ''and I can't agree with you either. Even if you're speaking the truth, I don't want to take the risk. I'll follow Fifth Sector's orders.''

Kurumada stands up. ''I'm with Sangoku,'' he agrees grimly.

Tenma closes his eyes and clenches his fists in his lap as he hears his teammates agree with the keeper. It  _physically_ hurts him to see them like this, to see them so lost and hopeless.  _'And even with all my knowledge of the future, I can't do anything.'_  He smiles ruefully.  _'What kind of captain, what kind of_ friend _, am I, if I can't even stop them from hurting?'_

Something inside him stirs, and his eyes snap open. His chest burns and he hears the rushing of his blood through his ears, his vision becoming blurry. He gasps soundlessly and grasps the shirt above his heart.

For a moment he can't think clearly, weakness overtaking his whole body, and he fights the exhaustion that threatens to overtake him. The energy inside him goes wild, searching for an exit. After a few tense seconds, he finally manages to push it down forcefully, and his senses return.

' _What the- not again!'_  his thoughts immediately go back to his short moment of weakness when he forgot his bag after practice.

Then the future captain glances around, seeing how everyone's attention is on the leaving members.

( _He's not sure if he should count himself lucky or not – he doesn't need any unwanted attention, but he can't fight the hurt in his heart when his teammates don't notice his pain, even though his rational mind tells him they have no reason to be worried._ )

He slowly lets go of his shirt and sighs, too tired to try and convince his teammates to come to practice –  _and he just can't deal with the hurt that their cold eyes give them right now._

Not long after, he and Shinsuke make their way to the outside field to practice, but he can't really focus. Too many thoughts spook through his head, and the exhaustion from his little episode earlier is weighing down on him heavily.

' _How can I help my teammates?'_

' _Is there anything major I've changed in my short time here?'_

'… _what's wrong with me?'_

Tenma winces slightly as he barely manages to stop the ball Shinsuke passes to him. The small boy runs forward to stop the ball from bouncing back, frowning worriedly at the brunet. ''Tenma, are you okay?''

The time traveler looks down and smiles reassuringly. ''Yeah, fine, just… just got a lot on my mind.''


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

******Accidental Reverse Arc 1**

* * *

A few hours after the debriefing on their next match, Tenma is on his way home when the exhaustion that has plagued him since this evening becomes too much. He sits down on the stairs that lead to the soccer field next to the river, feeling a headache come up from his messed up thoughts.

' _Maybe I should put some painkillers in my bag... I've got a feeling I'm going to get a lot of headaches.'_

He's broken out of his thoughts by a voice. ''What're you doing out here?''

The brunet looks up, blinking in surprise when he sees none other than Raimon's keeper, holding a bike. ''Sangoku-senpai,'' he greets softly.

The older boy raises an eyebrow. ''You okay?'' he asks, a little put off by the weird behavior. He might not know the younger boy very well, but he doesn't exactly seem like the quiet type.

Automatically, Tenma grabs his school uniform above his heart, which doesn't go unnoticed by the keeper. Sangoku's attention is pulled back when the brunet speaks.

''I'm fine, just got a lot to think about...'' he mutters and stands up. He blinks when he sees the bag in the rack of the bike. ''Running errands?'' he asks.

''I'm in charge of dinner today,'' answers the keeper.

Tenma fakes confusion. ''In charge of dinner?'' he repeats, even though he's known the older boy long enough to know he sometimes cooks. But hey, he's not supposed to know that. Yet. ''You cook?''

Sangoku puts a hand on the bag. ''Yep, but only when mom comes back late from work,'' he answers with a smile.

''Cooking, huh?'' repeats Tenma, thinking back to the cooking lessons he-  _and the rest of the team_  –has gotten from the members of the team with cooking experience. ''Impressive! Wish I could cook...''

( _He doesn't like to admit it, but he is a horrible cook. At least, that's what his teammates told him when he managed to blow up rice. But, he always defends himself, though he might not be able to cook very well_ [an understatement],  _he is the best baker on the team! He's learned a lot from Aki-nee's baking..._ )

''I've been told I'm like a bull in a china shop when I'm in the kitchen...'' the time traveler chuckles sheepishly.

Sangoku laughs and seems to think for a moment. ''Want to come over?'' he asks after a short while of silence.

Tenma blinks, vaguely remembering something like this – or was it one of those other times he came over? Even so, he answers the smile with one of his own. ''Can I?''

The keeper's smile widens. ''Of course.''

* * *

  And that's the reason Tenma is currently sitting at the table together with his older teammate, smiling in nostalgia when he tastes the familiar food. ''It's good,'' he tells the other boy. ''As good as Aki-nee's cooking!''

''Aki-nee?'' repeats Sangoku questioningly.

Tenma nods, knowing his teammate won't know about that, since he hasn't told anyone at school about it yet. ''She's a distant relative of mine,'' he explains. ''I live with her.''

Sangoku looks surprised. ''Your family lives with a distant relative?''

The brunet shakes his head. ''Nope, it's just me. My parents are back in Okinawa,'' he tells the keeper as he takes another bite.

''What?'' the other's voice is slightly alarmed. ''You're not living with your family?''

The time traveler sighs and puts down his fork. ''Hm,'' he hums in confirmation. ''I went to live with Aki-nee when I was nine,'' he explains. ''She helps me with a lot of stuff.''

Sangoku looks at him with wide eyes. ''You haven't lived together with your parents since you were  _nine?''_  he repeats in a stunned voice.

Tenma shrugs, a bit uncomfortable.  _'It was easier when everyone already knew about this,'_  he thinks, but shrugs it off to focus on the conversation at hand. ''It's really not a big deal,'' he says. ''I mean, I missed them when I first moved, and I missed home... everything's so different from Okinawa, but I see my parents every holiday and sometimes even in between that, and I can always visit home if I want to,'' his eyes soften in nostalgia. ''And I like it here. I can't swim as much as I used to, but I can play soccer so that's fine.''

''You swim?'' asks the keeper curiously.

The brunet grins. ''You forget, senpai. I'm from Okinawa.''

The older boy rolls his eyes good-naturally. ''It's not like every Okinawan swims,'' he shoots back easily.

The time traveler shrugs. ''Point taken,'' he agrees.

Suddenly a voice comes from the door. ''I'm home!'' the door opens and a familiar woman enters.

''Welcome back, you're early,'' greets Sangoku.

The woman closes the door behind her. ''The meeting ended early,'' she explains. As she turns around, her eyes fall on the brunet. ''Oh, a friend? That doesn't happen often.''

Tenma bows politely. ''Hello. I'm one of his juniors in the soccer club, Matsukaze Tenma,'' he introduces himself.

''Tenma-kun, so you're from the soccer club?'' she says as she puts away her bag. ''Coming back from practice?'' she takes of her jacket as the brunet confirms the question. ''You guys are aiming for the championship this year too, right?'' she asks.

Unlike the first time 'round, the time traveler keeps a cool head. ''I'm going to do my best,'' he answers smoothly. ''And I'm sure the others will follow the expectations as well.''

Sangoku's eyes widen as he looks at the brunet, confusion clearly written over his face. He wipes the look off as his mother joins them at the table. ''My son doesn't talk much about soccer,'' she says. ''Maybe because he's reached that difficult stage at his age? With no father around, there's a lot he won't talk to me about. It really has me in a pickle,'' she says with a fond look at her son, who pointedly ignores her. ''Tenma-kun, are you like that with your family too?''

The brunet shrugs after a moment of thought. ''I don't know,'' he says eventually. ''I don't see my parents a lot, so...'' he trails off.

Her eyes narrow at his words. ''What do you mean?'' she asks, a sharp edge to her voice.

The future captain smiles reassuringly. ''Well, I'm originally from Okinawa,'' he tells her. ''I'm living here to attend school, but my parents have to work, so they're still at home. I live with my relative now... since it's so far from home, I don't see my parents all that often,'' he explains.

The woman hums, impressed. ''You don't live with your parents, huh...'' she glances at her son. ''Must be hard...''

* * *

When dinner – and a very uncomfortable conversation in which Sangoku's mother promises she'll cheer for them ( _even though Sangoku isn't planning on winning yet_ ) – ends and Sangoku's mother has left, the keeper looks down. ''You guys just want to play soccer for what it really is, but...''

Tenma bites on his lip and sighs. ''I get it,'' he says finally, and the keeper's head snaps up. The brunet doesn't meet his eyes, lost in memories. ''Staying true to yourself isn't always easy,'' he mutters. ''Finding the path you're supposed to walk, especially when everything seems to be against you... I understand where you're coming from, I really do,'' he chuckles softly, ''but I've always been told I'm too stubborn for my own good.'' He sighs. ''I'm sorry if I'm too pushy, but I just want everyone to enjoy themselves.''

The keeper gapes at him. ''Matsukaze...''

The brunet stands up and smiles at him. ''Thank you for the food, but I think it's time for me to leave now,'' he says softly, just as Sangoku's mother returns.

''Tenma-kun, you're leaving?'' she asks, and the boy nods.

''Ah, hai. Thank you for having me over,'' he says, bowing politely.

The woman waves it away. ''You're welcome. It's nice to see my son making friends!''

Sangoku stands up as well, albeit a bit hesitantly. ''See you tomorrow, then,'' he says after a moment of silence.

Tenma nods, about to respond, when another wave of exhaustion hits him and he gasps. Due to his earlier moment of weakness, though, he's prepared for it this time and manages to catch himself when he stumbles, clutching his heart while clenching his eyes shut against the pain.

A second later, his senses rush back to normal and his eyes snap open.  _'Hope they didn't see that... oh, who am I kidding? How could they_ not _miss that?'_

And, as expected, Sangoku's mother reaches out to him worriedly. ''Tenma-kun, are you okay?''

The brunet glances at her concerned eyes and attempts a smile. ''I- I'm fine,'' he says, a little breathlessly. Tenma shoots a look at his senpai, startled by what he finds.

Sangoku's mouth has fallen open slightly, concern and more than a bit of shock showing in his eyes. For a moment, the older boy seems to struggle to find his voice, but when he does the question that follows is one Tenma can't brush off easily. ''Matsukaze, what was that?''

Tenma averts his eyes, the silence thick with tension. ''I... it's nothing to concern yourself about, senpai,'' he says finally. ''I must be a bit tired from training the past few days.''

The keeper's eyebrows furrow in disbelief, and he's about to open his mouth to say something when his mother interrupts. ''Oh, you poor dear!'' she says, feeling his forehead gently. ''You're not getting a fever, are you?'' when there's no sign of a fever, she frowns in concern. ''Perhaps you should take it easy for the rest of the day,'' she advices. ''Go to sleep early, okay?''

For once, the brunet is thankful for the mothering, since it keeps Sangoku from asking unwanted questions. The midfielder smiles and nods. ''I will do that,'' he says. ''I should really get going now. Good night.'' He shoots a look at the older boy. ''See you tomorrow, senpai.''

He slips out of the door, leaving a lot of unanswered questions behind.

* * *

During the opening ceremony of the Holy Road, Tenma can feel eyes on him, but he acts like he doesn't notice the suspicious stare of the keeper.  _'I can't afford to have an attack like that in front of Sangoku-senpai again,'_  he tells himself.  _'He's already suspicious enough as it is. If I insist enough, I can brush it off as just a moment of exhaustion after practice I'm not used to, but if he sees me falter like that again... he'll know something's up for real.'_

Soon after, Tenma and his teammates are lining up for their match against Tengawara. The brunet inwardly scowls in annoyance at the mocking of their opponents. ''It's too bad you have to lose on the first game,'' says a spiky-purple-haired forward, grinning mockingly. Raimon's members narrow their eyes.

''C'mon now,'' says a blond-haired midfielder next to him, a taunting smile tainting his lips. ''Don't tease them, Andou. We get to win against Raimon after they won second in last year's championship. Be happy about it.''

''That's true,'' agrees the forward, Andou, the smile not leaving his lips. The lighter purple-haired midfielder that Tenma remembers as a Keshin user on his other side doesn't say anything but smiles mockingly as well. Tenma's eyebrows rise the slightest bit at the sight of the boy's purple lips and dark eyelids.

' _Hmm... interesting.'_  He hides a grin as his mind comes up with a plan, because he can't just stand by and watch his team get mocked like this.  _'Time to make the first change in this match.'_

Tenma suddenly yawns obviously, putting as much disdain and boredom in the one movement as possible. The eyes of the trio immediately snap to him, and he blinks at their malicious looks. ''Sorry, did you say something?'' he asks innocently, letting his amusement shine in his eyes. ''I was a bit distracted, you see, I have an essay coming up and since my team probably won't be doing anything this match...'' he shrugs helplessly, a contempt half-smile on his face. ''We have to lose, and for that to happen none of us can move from our starting position.'' He chuckles, his voice dripping with disdain. ''But even that amount of resistance should be a challenge for you, right?''

''Wha- how dare you!'' hisses the blond midfielder. ''We can beat you with our eyes closed!''

Tenma nods mockingly. ''Yes, that's why you need Fifth Sector to decide the score for you,'' he agrees, the sarcasm in his voice impossible to miss. ''Your team's skill comes from a piece of paper. Very impressive.''

The Keshin user next to Andou joins the conversation. ''Tengawara is better than Raimon will ever be,'' he declares with no small amount of pride.

The time traveler rolls his eyes. ''Oh, yes, because this match  _definitely_  proves that,'' he says and then frowns. ''Wait...'' he tilts his head innocently as he stares at the Keshin user. ''...is that make-up? I thought girls weren't allowed on the teams?'' he asks sweetly.

Shinsuke next to him can't stop a snicker from leaving his lips, and even Kirino on his other side can't hide how his lips twitch upwards at the indignant and shocked expression on the Keshin user's face.

With that it's time to go to their positions and Tenma turns around, throwing one look over his shoulder at the purple-haired Keshin user. ''Let's have a good game, miss.''

He leaves the fuming Tengawara players behind him, hearing the captain apologize to Shindou for their behavior, and he makes his way to his position, avoiding his teammates bec _ause he doesn't need to get scolded about his behavior just now._  Or asked, for that matter, when he sees the amused glints in their eyes and realizes they probably won't scold him since they enjoyed it way too much ( _even though they'd never admit it_ ).

Immediately after the kickoff, Tengawara attacks. The girly midfielder from before seems to take a lot of pleasure in going one-on-one with Tenma, his mocking words from the first time 'round replaced by furious glares. Eventually though, he passes to his teammates as they make their way to Raimon's goal.

The forward, Andou, easily passes Amagi, who isn't even trying. ''He passed Amagi!'' yells the commentator and the forward smirks, going for the goal.

Suddenly, Tenma is in front of him and steals the ball. ''First-year Matsukaze makes a good save!''

The brunet easily spots the Keshin user ( _maybe he should start figuring out their names_ ) and quickly scans the field for his teammates, hopefully one who wants to win as well. Gritting his teeth he passes to Kurama, who fakes a stumble so that the blond midfielder from before can steal the ball.

Tenma narrows his eyes, remembering this part of the match quickly.  _'My first injury, how could I forget?'_

Mind set on not letting it happen again, he moves in front of the blond midfielder, who smirks at him, yet the brunet can see a spark of annoyance. Tenma immediately notices how the other slows down, fully intending on tripping him. Instead of falling for it like last time, he moves out of the way just in time and manages to kick the ball away from the Tengawara player.

''What?!'' hisses said player, and the brunet smiles as he moves in the direction of Tengawara's half. He evades the players ( _because honestly, he wasn't entirely lying before. Tengawara might be good, but in skill Raimon is definitely better, not to mention, Tenma has three years' worth of memories that can help him this time_ ).

The brunet grits his teeth as one of Tengawara's defenders runs up to him to stop him.  _'Not yet...'_  instead of passing the boy, which he could easily do, the time traveler scans for his teammates. He throws a look over his shoulder but Shindou is still too far behind to take a pass.

He bites his lip and instead passes to Minamisawa, who lets the ball get stolen by Tengawara soon after. Tenma doesn't stay behind to watch, not having an ounce of faith that anyone else besides Shindou and Shinsuke will do anything this match, and instead moves back towards Raimon's half without a backward glance.

''Hayabusa!'' the ball is passed to the girly Keshin user, now known as Hayabusa. He easily passes Hamano, Kurumada and Kirino and passes to the blond midfielder.

Tenma grits his teeth as the blond makes his way to the goal and passes to Tengawara's captain, Kita. The time traveler can easily see the hesitation on Sangoku's face and he knows, without a doubt, that the keeper won't stop the shot.

And he was right, for Sangoku doesn't move as Kita makes the shot. They are all surprised, however, when someone steals the ball out of the air.

The brunet smiles as Shindou lands gracefully, his eyes filled with resolve. Both Tengawara and Raimon players stare in shock. The blond Tengawara midfielder smiles, a bit shocked. ''Hey, it's easier if you just let us score now,'' he says.

''I won't let you score.''

There is no sign of hesitation in Shindou's voice, even as the Tengawara midfielder falters in surprise. ''I'm not following Fifth Sector's orders,'' states Raimon's captain resolutely, and his eyes narrow angrily. ''I'm going for a real win!''

Tenma's smile widens at the shocked looks from both teams. ''No need for jokes now,'' says the blond midfielder.

The brunet almost beams when he sees Shindou's genuine, challenging smile. ''I'm serious!'' and with that he sprints forward, surprising everyone with his speed. The Tengawara players shake their shock off and try to follow him, but Raimon's captain is too fast.

Hayabusa blocks him. ''Have you lost your mind, Shindou? You don't have a future going against Fifth Sector!''

Raimon's game maker tries to pass him. ''I'll make my own future!'' with that he starts to run again.

''Forget your future, this will be the end of Raimon itself!'' Hayabusa tries to steal the ball and Shindou looks around for any of his teammates.

' _There's my chance.'_

Tenma suddenly runs forward, into Shindou's line of vision, and their eyes meet for a split second. A moment later the brunet receives the captain's pass, continuing to run in the direction of the goal.

Tengawara's Keshin user focuses his attention on the first-year. ''Do you really want to destroy Raimon's future?'' asks Hayabusa, narrowing his eyes. ''If you don't want to doom your teammates, let us win!''

The time traveler smirks, surprising the purple-haired boy. ''If you want to win, work for it,'' he says casually, waiting for the game maker to do his job.

''Tenma!''

Aha, there it is. The brunet follows the glowing line of Shindou's God Baton without a moment of hesitation, running through Tengawara's lines of defense. The forward from before, Andou, enters his vision. ''Think you can come at me from the front?'' challenges the spiky-haired boy.

' _Not my plan.'_  Feeling a bit bad for stealing Shindou's future move, he suddenly slows down majorly when the forward reaches him. Said forward didn't expect the sudden change in speed and stumbles past him. Tenma grins and runs forward, waiting for his captain's orders as Tengawara's defense surrounds him.

Shindou sends a line of light high up and without hesitation the brunet kicks the ball into the air. Shinsuke easily jumps into the sky to receive the pass, a hidden smile going over Tenma's features.  _'Can't wait till you become a keeper...'_

Following the captain's orders, Shinsuke passes to Tenma. Said brunet sees one of the defenders and frowns, not waiting for Shindou's orders. Instead, he suddenly kicks the ball in the direction of none other than Hamano, not giving any warning.

A smile stretches on his lips as he sees how the other midfielder is taken by surprise. Not having enough time to think clearly, Hamano automatically passes the ball to the first teammate he sees.

Shindou easily receives the pass, making use of the perfect chance to score now that no one is in his way. '' **Fortissimo!** '' the keeper is surprised by the sudden shot and doesn't react fast enough to stop it.

The time traveler looks up at the scoreboard with a smile. 1-0 for Raimon.

The captain makes his way back to Raimon's half, smiling at the two first-years who assisted him in the goal. ''Nice thinking, Tenma,'' he compliments.

Tenma chuckles sheepishly. ''No, not at all,'' he quickly denies. ''Those were actually moves from someone else,'' he admits, Shindou raising his eyebrows curiously.

''Hm, must be a good player, then.''

The time traveler hides a smile.  _'Oh, you have no idea.'_ Instead of showing the amusement in his eyes, he grins. ''Nice goal, Shindou-senpai.''

The captain's smile widens.

''Thanks.''

They make their way back to their positions. Once there, Tenma ignores the Tengawara players who are currently discussing Raimon's idiocy. Instead he looks back towards Raimon's goal, biting his lip at the sight of their keeper.

' _Sangoku-senpai...'_

He remembers vaguely that the older teenager joins the 'rebellion', if you can call it that at this point, during this match, but the details are a bit hazy.

' _Note to self, start a diary.'_

Only a few minutes later, Tenma narrows his eyes at the rough play from the other school.  _'Jeez, anger issues much?'_  he can't help but think as the blond boy ( _who he has finally learned goes by the name Nishinosora_ ) knocks Hayami over.

Shindou tries to order the defense to move back, but the defenders hesitate.  _'Damn it... note to self, kill Fei for all the trouble he's putting you through.'_

''You look pathetic, Captain.'' Tenma rolls his eyes when he hears Tsurugi's comments from the sideline. He's standing close enough to hear his words because the forward isn't exactly speaking softly. ''It's no use being God's Baton if you can't get anybody to move. The only ones resisting Fifth Sector are you three. How are you going to fight against eight people who aren't even on your side and eleven-''

The forward is suddenly cut off by another voice.

''Could you please kindly do us all a favor and  _shut up?!''_

Tsurugi falters, his eyes widening at the annoyed glare from Raimon's time traveler. ''Wha-''

Tenma, again, cuts him off. ''Look, I don't care if you want to be a pessimistic emo, but could you do it somewhere else?''

( _He's enjoying Tsurugi's speechlessness way too much, but he honestly doesn't care._ )

''What are you even  _doing_  here? You're not even gonna play in this match, are you?'' suddenly, Tenma smiles innocently. ''You know, you deny you're a stalker but you're acting really stalkerish right now, Stalker-san.''

Tsurugi's eye twitches but before he can think of a retort the brunet is already running over the field again.

Meanwhile, Tenma is taking in the situation. Shindou declaring he'll do it himself if his teammates won't help, girly midfielder intercepting... Ah, seems like Hayabusa is going to bring out his Keshin-

Tenma's eyes widen.

' _Oh damnit.'_

Throwing all caution in the wind, he races forward as Hayabusa throws his arms in the sky, about to call forth his Keshin. Looks like Lady Luck is on Tenma's side for once, because he manages to use a sliding tackle to steal the ball from the other's possession, successfully stopping him from using his Keshin.

He breathes a sigh of relief.  _'I can mostly see what will happen during a match, judging from how my teammates and the opponents play, but a Keshin is too unpredictable.'_

But the danger's not over yet, because he's taken by surprise when Kita suddenly steals the ball from him. Without a moment to lose, the captain breaks through Raimon's defense and shoots.

Tenma can see how Sangoku grits his teeth and moves to stop the shot but is pushed to the side by the force of it, the ball flying in the goal.

''It's in!'' exclaims the commentator. Just then, two whistles sound, announcing the end of the first half. ''The first half ends here, at a tie of 1-1!''

* * *

A certain time traveler stares at the downtrodden faces of his teammates and then directs his gaze to an empty point in the air, staring at it intently while he gets lost in thought.

' _Hmm... not too bad, for now. If I remember correctly, the first time 'round it was 1-1 when the second half started as well...'_  he hums to himself quietly, a habit he started somewhere in his third year at Raimon Jr. High.  _'But that Seed is going to cause some trouble... not only could his Keshin turn the whole match around, I'm not even sure if Shindou-senpai can stop him with Maestro!'_

''Could you stop humming?'' an annoyed voice snaps him out of his thoughts.

He blinks at Tsurugi and automatically gives a retort. ''Could you stop being such a pessimist?'' then his eyes widen slightly.  _'Ehehe... didn't mean to say that... if I keep reacting like that, Tsu-chan will never warm up to me...'_  so, to reduce the damage, he smiles apologetically. ''Sorry, habit.''

Even Tenma himself doesn't know if he means the humming or the retorts.

The Seed narrows his eyes in annoyance and the brunet smiles innocently. Tsurugi gives him one last glare and then turns to Raimon's other members, a small smirk pulling at his lips. ''Tengawara's Hayabusa is just like me,'' he says.

Tenma keeps himself from asking 'an annoying pessimist?' because that probably wouldn't end well.  _'Not that I can help it... Tsurugi's so... well, pessimistic right now! Hmpf.'_

''A Seed.''

' _Where does that name come from, anyway? Is there a higher form of a Seed? Another level? What would they be called... hmm, a tree?'_

Meanwhile, Tsurugi is continuing his little monologue about Hayabusa. ''He can freely control his Keshin. Unlike you, captain.'' Shindou grits his teeth and the forward smirks. ''Now do you still think you can win?''

' _A flower?'_  suddenly a very disturbing image of Tsurugi dressed in a flower dress pops up in his head, and the brunet shakes his head to get rid of the thought.  _'I hope not... that would be so...ieuw,'_  he shudders.  _'Gross.'_

''Even if wimps like you chose to cross Fifth Sector, nothing will change. Nothing can change. Raimon's defeat has been decided!''

' _Hmm... what about a vegetable?'_

Suddenly another voice speaks up. ''That's not for strangers to decide,'' says Endou with a smile as he stands up. ''Like I said... No matter who it is, I won't let them decide the results before the match.''

Tsurugi narrows his eyes, a sharp edge to his voice. ''What?''

Endou's smile widens. ''The only one who gets to decide victory and defeat is the goddess of victory.'' He turns to the rest of Raimon. ''But the goddess of victory will never smile upon those who don't actively seek to win. Are you guys satisfied with the soccer today that's controlled, even its scoring?'' he turns to the keeper. ''Sangoku.''

' _Maybe a fruit?'_

''H-hai!'' said keeper looks up.

The coach smiles down at him ( _not that that's any different from his usual expression_ ). ''You were told to lose, but you tried to stop that shoot.''

Sangoku looks away. ''Th-that was...''

''That was the instincts of a true soccer player.'' Endou walks towards the other players, leaving a stunned keeper behind. ''No matter what shoot comes at you, you try to block it.'' He walks through the aisle between the benches, looking at every player. Hayami tenses and looks away, and when Endou passes him he puts a hand on the boy's head for a moment, surprising said boy. ''No matter who you're up against, you try to dribble past them. You try to make a shoot that's stronger than anyone else's. And you try to win,'' he finishes as he passes Tsurugi.

( _Meanwhile, Tenma is speculating about dancing Seeds dressed up like fruits and vegetables while singing happily, mostly missing the conversation going on in front of him_.)

( _The worst are definitely Tomato Tsurugi and Mango Mahoro_.)

''That's a soccer player,'' finishes Endou as he stops in the front of the room to address everyone, placing a fist over his heart. ''The feelings that all of you have. Do you honestly feel that it's right? To lose without even trying? Ask yourselves these things. Is the soccer you see today the soccer you want to play? What is real soccer? What is  _your_  soccer?''

Suddenly the door opens. ''What is this I'm hearing?'' Chairman Kinzan and the tall guy ( _who Tenma finally remembers as the assistant principal, Fuyukai something_ ) enter the dressing room.

''You've learned nothing, have you!'' spats the assistant principal.

Kinzan looks at the coach grimly. ''Holy Road isn't just a tournament for soccer championship. It's an important election that will decide the Holy Emperor!''

Fuyukai continues. ''If we disrupt it, our-'' he cuts himself off and pushes up his glasses uncomfortably. ''I mean, Raimon's reputation will be jeopardized.''

The chairman points threateningly to Endou. ''As their coach, say this to them now. Fifth Sector's orders must not be disputed. You must not fail to lose this match.''

Endou closes his eyes and answers without hesitation. ''I've said everything that needs to be said.'' He looks at the Raimon players. ''The rest is up to you to decide. As an individual soccer player.''

He walks past Fuyukai and Kinzan, who is shaking in anger, and stops in the doorway. He throws a determined smile over his shoulder. ''I'll be waiting on the field.'' Endou ignores the other two adults who try to stop him and, when that doesn't work, follow him.

Silence is left in the clubroom, as the players share a few hesitant looks.

''So... what do we do now?'' asks Hamano, looking at his teammates.

Tenma almost hums thoughtfully, but remembering Tsurugi's earlier annoyance at the sound, refrains from doing so. Instead he looks at the Seed in question. ''Tsurugi,'' he suddenly says.

The forward glances up, glaring when he sees who addressed him. ''What?'' he snaps.

The time traveler looks at him, completely serious. ''Promise me you'll never wear a flower dress. Or dress up like a vegetable, for that matter.''

The Seed chokes on air. ''Wha-!''

Raimon's other players stare at the brunet in utter shock. ''What the hell, Matsukaze?!'' Ah, that's Kurumada, who is currently gaping at the time traveler. Everyone is, for that matter.

Shindou recovers from his shock first. ''Tenma, what the heck goes on in your head?!'' Hmm, maybe he hasn't recovered as much as the brunet first thought.

Said brunet simply blinks. ''Ah, I don't think you want to know that, senpai~''

Meanwhile, Tsurugi finally seems to find his ability to speak back. ''Why the  _hell_  would you think I'd do something like- like  _that?!''_

Tenma blinks. ''I don't,'' he says simply. ''I was just making sure.''

Tsurugi's eye twitches and the time traveler can swear flames are rising up behind him. Not wanting to be there when the forward explodes, the brunet slips out of the door with the excuse of ''the second half is starting soon~!''

 


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

**Accidental Reverse Arc 1**    **  
**

* * *

''The first match of Holy Road's district preliminaries! The second half of Raimon versus Tengawara!''

It's Raimon's kickoff and Kurama immediately passes to Hamano... who passes to Tenma after the first-year politely asks for it. When the blond midfielder, Nishi-something tries to mark him, Tenma kicks the ball to the side.

Shinsuke easily receives the pass and the small defender immediately dribbles forward. Tengawara's forward Andou makes a sliding to steal the ball, knocking the smaller boy of his feet.

''Shinsuke-!'' Shindou exclaims worriedly.

Tenma is already on his way to take back the ball even as a Tengawara player jumps in the air to take it.

Even as he steals it from the Tengawara player, the brunet glances over his shoulder and smiles as he sees the look on the Raimon keeper's face.  _'That's what I was waiting for...'_

His victory is short-lived when Kita manages to steal the ball, passing it to Hayabusa. But before the pass can even connect, Sangoku sprints forward and jumps, making a summersault in the air to catch the ball and landing on his back.

Shindou's shocked yet happy voice rings out over the field. ''Sangoku-san!''

''Senpai!'' chorus the two first-years.

Sangoku grins as he stands up. ''Shindou. Shinsuke.'' A moment of silence, and then, with a wide smile... ''Tenma. You've opened my eyes. I'll play my own soccer too. I want to see the goddess of victory smiling again after so long,'' he says, glancing at his mother. Then he throws the ball harshly. ''Shindou! Don't hold back! Make a full-on attack with God's Baton!''

The captain looks at him in surprise as he receives the ball.

''Tenma and Shinsuke should be able to keep up with your passwork now! After all, they've been practicing like crazy!'' he grins widely. He stands in front of the goal, spreading his arms in a defensive way. ''I'll protect the goal! Go! Let's win this match!''

Shindou immediately moves in the direction of Tengawara's goal, but is stopped by Kita. ''You can't change anything, Shindou-kun,'' he tells the other captain. ''Adding one more person to your party makes no difference!''

( _Tenma is aware his comments are unneeded and probably unwanted._ )

( _...not that he cares._ )

''Hey, it so does!'' shouts the brunet, surprising Kita and giving Shindou the chance to dribble around him. ''Why does everyone think we can't win even though it's still a tie?''

''Tenma, just run already!''

Huh. Seems like Shindou's getting used to his comments.

( _Maybe because this was one of the less... weird ones._ )

Using God's Baton, Shindou passes to the brunet, who managed to catch up to him. Nishi-something runs forward to steal the ball from Tenma, but the time traveler manages to slip past him.

He passes to Shindou, who passes to Shinsuke. The pass is interrupted by one of Tengawara's players and the ball flies into the sky. Surprising the Tengawara players, Shinsuke jumps up and takes the ball out of the air, immediately starting to run once his feet hit the ground. ''Nice pass, captain!''

''I-it was a pass?'' exclaims a shocked Tengawara player.

But then their momentum is broken by Hayabusa stealing the ball from the Raimon defender. The purple-haired boy runs over the field towards Raimon's goal. ''Don't screw around,'' he yells. ''We need you guys to lose!''

Tenma's eyes widen as he sees the cloud of blueish black too late.  _'No-!'_

Suddenly the only thing he can feel is  _pain._

Pure, burning agony coursing through his veins. Somehow he still manages to clench his lips together to keep from screaming ( _not that he could because he's not getting enough air-_ )

It hurts, oh god it hur _ts so much-_ he can't  _think_  the only thing he knows is pain, pa _in, ago_ _ **ny, pure, excruciating pain-**_

Somehow the brunet manages to keep standing, his limbs trembling with the effort.  _'No- don't- I can't-'_

A quiet whimper leaves his lips as he feels the agony flowing through his veins, and it  _burns_ and it  _freezes_  at the same time and everything he can feel is  _pain_  and without even thinking he  _knows_  he can't let the wild Keshin energy run free, yet...

**Agony.**

Hurt.

_Pain._

He should've known after the first time. He should've  _known_  his Keshin would go out of control again in the presence of another Keshin, he should've realized it, should've done something,  _anything-_

He can distinctly make out words, something that sounds like 'Falco Wing'. Before he can think of something else, the pain intensifies.

_It fucking intensifies. As if he wasn't already feeling like someone's driving a knife through his chest._

No, this time it feels like someone is driving a knife  _covered in acid_  through his chest.

The brunet stumbles to his knees and by pure force of will manages to crack an eye open. He can see the slightest amount of reddish black energy surround him, but he ignores it in favor of the scene in front of him. The sight he is greeted with is one of two giant energy forms fighting against each other and he vaguely recognizes Maestro, yet  _his vision is so blurry and it_ _ **hurts-**_

He can only hope the battle between Keshin ends fast.

Another voice rings out, a familiar one- '' **Burning Catch!** ''

And then the pain is gone, just as fast as it came, leaving only exhaustion behind.

All Tenma wants to do is collapse right then and there but he knows he can't rest until after the match, so, with strength he didn't know he had, he pushes himself to his feet. Quickly glancing around he breathes a sigh of relief to see no one ( _not even the freaking public!_ ) seems to have notices his little episode.

''Tenma!''

( _Oh god. Tenma might like Sangoku, but right now he's mentally cursing the keeper for forcing him to run in this state._ )

Knowing he doesn't have a choice, he dribbles forward, pushing the exhaustion and lingering pain to the back of his mind for now. Kita runs towards him and the brunet gathers his strength.

'' **Soyokaze Step!** ''

It works. It actually manages to work flawlessly, not giving any sign of his exhaustion and pain. Surprised yet not losing his concentration, knowing he won't be able to get his composure back if he were to get distracted, the brunet runs with all the strength he has left. He somehow spots Shindou through his blurry vision and kicks the ball towards him. ''Shindou-senpai! I don't care how you do it, but you better make a goal!'' he yells, stumbling to his knees the moment the ball reaches the captain.

''Shindou! I know you can master your Keshin!'' yells Sangoku. ''Have confidence in yourself!''

' _Oh you have got to be kidding-'_

Tenma can't even finish the thought before another wave of pain crashes over him, and he bites his lip to keep from screaming.

But, to his surprise, it feels better than before. This time, the pain is still hurting but it doesn't actually feel like his blood turned to acid. In fact, his Keshin is struggling a lot less than before.

The brunet grits his teeth and ignores the pain for now ( _because he can actually ignore it now that it hurts less_ ), instead watching as his favorite ex-captain calls forth his Keshin.

( _It might be good that Shindou can control it now, but Tenma's still pissed because it might hurt less but it still hurt fre_ akishly much!)

''I need your help to win...!'' Shindou clutches the Raimon mark on his uniform and looks up at the dark cloud of energy. ''Come out! My Keshin,  **Instrumentalist Maestro!** ''

Maestro takes form.

The ball floats in the middle of its four arms, waves of light going to it. Then it falls on the ground before Shindou's feet and he kicks it with all his strength. '' **Harmonics!** ''

And then the agony is back when Hayabusa jumps in front of Shindou and calls out his Keshin. Taken by surprise, the brunet clutches his heart and clenches his eyes shut against the black spots dancing in his vision, desperately gasping for air bec _ause his lungs are burning-_

Moments later the pain is gone as Hayabusa's Keshin dissipates and the ball shoots towards the goal, knocking two defenders and the keeper out of the way before it hits the net, leaving a streak of blue light behind.

A whistle blows as the score changes. ''Goal!'' yells the commentator. ''The shoot made by Shindou's Keshin rips through Tengawara's goal! Raimon pushes ahead of Tengawara in the last moment!''

Tenma breathes a sigh of relief when Maestro disappears, forcing himself to stand up on shaking legs. His whole body is trembling from pain and exhaustion.  _'Not doing that again anytime soon...'_

Then the three whistles sound, ending the match in Raimon's win. ''The game is over, Raimon's win! 2-1! The ones to rise out of the fierce battle in the first district preliminary match is Raimon Jr. High!''

As Shindou straightens, panting heavily, someone suddenly slings an arm around his shoulders. The captain looks up, surprised to see Sangoku's smiling face. ''You did it, Shindou!''

The game maker smiles. ''Thanks to you blocking it, Sangoku-san,'' he says.

The keeper scratches his cheek. ''I can't look disgraceful in front of the goddess of victory, after all,'' he comments and chuckles, surprising the captain with his words. ''Nor in front of the first-years.'' He looks in the direction of said first-years. ''He's a strange guy,'' he says warmly. ''He blew away all the gloom that's been piling up in my heart.''

''He's like a zephyr,'' agrees Shindou with a smile.

''With him, we might be able to change this corrupted soccer.'' Sangoku's smile widens slightly.

As Shindou turns away from Tenma to look at Shinsuke, Sangoku's gaze lingers a bit longer, and he notices something the captain misses.

As the young brunet walks towards his team, the keeper can clearly see him falter for a second and grasp the shirt above his heart, an expression of pain shooting across his face so fast Sangoku almost misses it.

But he doesn't miss it, and his eyes widen in alarm as his smile falls off his face. After a moment Tenma lets go of his uniform and continues walking towards Shinsuke, looking completely normal, but the keeper knows what he saw.

His thoughts immediately go back to the evening before, when the brunet was about to go home. How he stumbled and almost seemed to fall matches the way he faltered just now perfectly.

Sangoku narrows his eyes in concern. He definitely knows something is wrong.

If only he knew  _what._

* * *

 ''We should do something to celebrate.''

The Raimon members who are left in the changing room look up in surprise. ''Celebrate?'' repeats Shindou curiously.

Tenma nods. ''Yep! I think we deserve a reward for our hard work, right?'' he grins. ''We won this match with only four people, and I'm hungry.''

''Me too!'' agrees Shinsuke as he zips up his training jacket.

Sangoku nods thoughtfully as he puts his shoes in his bag. ''Actually, that's not a bad idea,'' he agrees after a moment. ''We could go out for something to eat.''

''But what?'' asks Shinsuke, frowning thoughtfully. The other three are silent for a moment. ''Tenma, do you have an idea?''

The brunet shrugs. ''What about ramen?''

''I haven't had ramen since before I joined Raimon!'' Shinsuke beams. ''I'm in!''

The two first-years look at their senpai with begging eyes. The keeper sighs and shakes his head good-naturally, an amused smile on his face. ''I'll have to tell my mother, but she'll be alright with it,'' he agrees and the two cheer.

They look at Shindou, who hesitates. ''Um, I don't know guys, I...''

' _Time to use my secret weapon.'_

''S-Shindou-senpai...'' The captain freezes when he looks at the brunet. Tenma's eyes are wide and big and begging and so inn _ocent and how could he ever refuse that kicked puppy look?_

His defenses crumble in less than 0.02 seconds, and he gives in. ''Fine, but I'll have to call my parents first,'' he says when the two youngest start to cheer.

Sangoku looks at him in amusement while the two first-years discuss where they should go. ''I've never seen you give in so easily,'' he comments, not able to hide his chuckles when the game maker blushes and looks away.

''You try to resist that look,'' mutters the captain, obviously embarrassed. The keeper laughs and Shindou quickly grabs his phone as an excuse to avoid any more embarrassment.

* * *

 Soon after the four of them are making their way to a small restaurant where they serve ramen, Rairaiken, with the two first-years happily chatting away, to the amusement of the older two.

''Welcome,'' says a voice as they enter the shop. A man with hair shaped like hawk wings and black eyes nods at them. Soon after the four are sitting at a table with their food.

Shindou blinks as he looks at his plate and tilts his head. ''I've never had ramen like this before,'' he mutters but (unfortunately for him) a certain time traveler hears it.

''Wow, you really are a rich kid!'' grins Tenma as the captain rolls his eyes. ''Don't worry, you're the nicest rich kid I know!''

The game maker can't help but smile. ''I'm the only rich kid you know.''

Shinsuke is just a little bit too late with his shout of ''no, don't say it!''

Tenma's grin falls off his face as he blinks at the captain in surprise. ''Huh, look Shinsuke,'' he says blankly. ''It's another stalker.''

Said defender sighs in exasperation. ''Tenma, could you  _please_  stop with accusing people of being stalkers?''

Meanwhile, both Sangoku and Shindou are blinking in shock at the scene in front of him. After a short while the keeper manages to find his voice. ''Wait, has he done this before?''

The smallest first-years nods. ''Hai. So far he has called me a stalker, captain, Tsurugi and of course coach Endou.'' Tenma just puts up an innocent expression when the two older students look at him.

''How do you even get away with half the stuff you say?'' asks Shindou, genuinely curious.

The brunet blinks and shrugs. ''That's what I've been wondering as well,'' he answers honestly. ''I'm surprised I haven't gotten detention yet. Or something.''

''You're never this cheeky to the teachers,'' says Shinsuke. ''Maybe that's why.''

Tenma immediately shakes his head. ''No, they haven't given me the chance to be cheeky yet,'' he corrects. ''If I'm going to get in trouble, I'll do it to the best of my ability,'' he grins brightly at the looks from his friends that basically scream 'why'.

''You're weird,'' says Sangoku, amused.

The brunet beams at him. ''Thank you!''

Shinsuke looks at Shindou. ''Was that a compliment?'' whispers the defender.

The captain shrugs. ''Probably was in his ears.''

''So... I've been wondering, why do you say the stuff you say?'' asks Sangoku as he takes another bite from his ramen. The captain and the defender look at the time traveler as well, curiosity evident in their eyes.

Tenma blinks, a little surprised at the question. ''Well, because I'm actually a time traveler who was accidently send to the past and your future selves are really annoying so I'm taking my revenge now that you're still innocent and don't know any better. Your reactions are hilarious. And not to mention, it's fun~''

At least, that's what he'd  _like_ to say, but...

''I get bored easily,'' he answers instead ( _because that's one of the reasons as well, if he's honest. And he's not captain in this time, so no one expects him to be responsible._ )

( _Yet._ )

( _And they probably wouldn't even believe the whole 'time-traveler-who-is-pissed-because-his-future-friends-are-annoying-as-hell-and-cause-way-too-much-trouble-so-he-is-taking-revenge-now' reason._ )

Shindou almost drops his chopsticks. ''You get  _bored_  easily?'' he repeats incredulously. ''Even so,  _why_  do you think it's a good idea to- well, to do what you do?''

The brunet shrugs. ''Well, actually, I don't. But no one seems to care about what I do so I'm going to continue~'' he sings cheerfully. ''Not to mention, it's fun~!''

Shinsuke sighs wearily. ''And that's my classmate,'' he mutters to no one.

''It's fun,'' repeats Sangoku, slowly raising an eyebrow. ''Really.''

''Really.'' Tenma nods, completely serious. ''You should see your reactions.'' The other three stare at him silently and the brunet pouts. ''Oh, come on! Don't be like that, it's not like I've blown something up yet!''

Shindou's eye twitches. ''It's the 'yet' I'm worried about.''

''You've blown up things?'' gasps Shinsuke, staring at the brunet with wide eyes.

Tenma rolls his eyes. ''Don't be so dramatic, it's not like it was a big deal,'' he mutters and crosses his arms stubbornly. ''Why does everyone think it's so hard to blow up rice? Seriously,'' he huffs indignantly. ''You destroy a microwave  _twice_  and everyone makes a problem out of it!''

Sangoku and Shindou share a look. ''Should we ask?'' whispers the keeper.

The second-year slowly shakes his head. ''No. We really, really shouldn't.''

* * *

 Tenma scrolls through the website he has opened on his laptop, his frown deepening with every word he reads. After reading everything, he sits in silent thought for a long, tense moment. ''A chained Keshin...''

Then, with a sigh, he shuts off his laptop and flops on his bed, covering his eyes with his arm. ''This is troublesome...'' he mutters quietly. ''Really troublesome.''

' _What to do now?'_  he muses silently.  _'Shindou-senpai and Sangoku-senpai have joined our revolution, if you could call it that. What will happen next... well, Minamisawa-senpai will quit and Kurama-senpai will blame it on me,'_  he concludes after a moment of thought.  _'Eventually Raimon will fight with us as well, during the Mannouzaka match, I think... then after that, Tsurugi will start to rebel as well, and eventually join us during the Teikoku match. But why...?'_

Suddenly his eyes widen as he remembers what Kyousuke told him in the future. ''Yuuichi-san...'' he whispers softly. ''Yuuichi-san found out about him being a Seed and confronted him.''

' _Maybe I can speed that up a bit,'_  he realizes.  _'Talk to Yuuichi-san without Tsurugi around.'_  Then the brunet frowns.  _'But will he believe me?'_

Tenma sighs. ''Life is way too complicated.''

* * *

 The next day after school, the brunet follows Tsurugi to the hospital, making sure not to be spotted. He prays the forward won't visit his brother for long, because he has no interest in waiting for a few hours.

It seems luck is on his side, for less than an hour after he went in, Tsurugi comes out again, talking on the phone. Tenma stays silent as the forward passes the bench he's sitting on, too distracted to even notice him. ''...fine, I'll be there in half an hour,'' grumbles said forward into the phone as he walks past the brunet.

Tenma stands up from the bench and grabs his bag, heading towards the hospital. He walks in like he knows exactly what he's doing ( _which he does_ ) to avoid suspicion, and immediately walks towards the stairs, knowing where Yuuichi's room is by heart ( _he's been there enough times in the future, sometimes even without the younger Tsurugi sibling. He's come to enjoy the elder's company quite a lot._ )

Soon he reaches the room he's looking for. After a short pause to gather his thoughts, he knocks, hearing a familiar voice calling for him to come in.

The time traveler opens the door and smiles at the sight of the navy-haired boy, who blinks in surprise at the unfamiliar brunet that just entered his room. Said brunet closes the door behind him as he bows politely. ''Tsurugi Yuuichi-san,'' he says, trying to make his voice sound as honest as possible. ''I'd like to talk to you.''

Yuuichi blinks but answers the smile with one of his own. ''Oh, I guess that's okay...'' he says, gesturing to the chair next to his bed. As the brunet sits down, the elder chuckles sheepishly. ''Um, sorry, but I don't really know you...''

Tenma's smile widens at the silent hint. ''My name is Matsukaze Tenma and I'm from Raimon Jr. High, one of the members of the soccer club,'' he tells the older Tsurugi sibling as his smile disappears. ''That's why I'm here, actually... your brother.''

The young man frowns worriedly. ''Kyousuke? What's wrong with him?''

The brunet sighs and runs a hand through his hair wearily. ''Well... he's fine, but... what exactly do you know about him and- and his soccer?''

Yuuichi's frown deepens. ''Kyousuke loves soccer,'' he says, confusion clear in his voice.

Tenma balls his shaking hands and breathes out slowly. This is it, the point where everything changes – will Tsurugi join Fifth Sector or the rebellion?

''Your brother is a Seed.''

Yuuichi's eyes widen and he freezes, staring at the brunet in pure disbelief. Said brunet meets his gaze evenly yet can't fight the nervous flutter in his stomach.

''You're joking,'' whispers the young adult, his voice strained. His eyes harden and he continues in a louder voice. ''My brother wouldn't work with those bastards.''

The time traveler doesn't answer him but instead takes out his phone. He taps on the screen and then shows it to the hospital patient. The older male takes it and narrows his eyes while Tenma patiently waits for his reaction.

( _Mentally he thanks the soccer gods that he managed to find a video of the Black Knights-Raimon match._ )

A few minutes later Yuuichi lowers the phone and leans back against his pillow. His eyes are closed and his face is a blank mask. The brunet lowers his gaze and easily notices how the patient's hands are shaking. After what feels like an eternity, the elder's soft voice breaks the heavy silence.

''Why...?''

Tenma hesitantly glances at his face, startled to find tears in his eyes. The young man is looking at the ceiling, clutching the cell phone in his trembling hands, pain evident in his expression. ''Why- why would he join people like- like  _that?''_

The brunet sighs softly, attracting the attention of the older Tsurugi sibling. Tenma hesitantly bites his lip, staring out of the window. ''It's... easy to understand, actually,'' he says finally.

Yuuichi's eyes narrow slightly. ''Explain.''

The time traveler is quiet for a moment before answering. ''He feels guilty.''

''Guilty?'' repeats the elder. ''Whatever would he feel guilty for?''

Tenma smiles weakly and gestures to the bed. ''Your legs, of course,'' he says softly, and the eyes of the older Tsurugi brother widen. ''He feels guilty because he can play soccer and you can't. Fifth Sector probably blackmailed him with money – he works for them, they pay for your surgery.''

Yuuichi's mouth falls open in shock and he stares at the brunet, searching for any hint of a lie. ''But... i-it wasn't his fault,'' he whispers, stunned.

Raimon's future captain shrugs. ''I know that,'' he answers quietly. ''Your brother knows that as well, deep down, but he can't accept that. Imagine that your roles would be reversed.'' He pauses for a moment, looking solemnly at the other male, who gestures for him to go on. ''Imagine he'd be the one in the hospital, imagine you were the one who could still walk. What would you do?''

The young man slowly looks down. The answer to the question is clear in his mind, and with that, so is the understanding for his brother's motivation. ''I'd... probably find any job I could to earn money,'' he whispers sorrowfully. ''Even if I had to do something bad, I'd... probably do it.''

Tenma nods. ''Exactly.'' He breathes out slowly. ''Your brother loves soccer, I  _know_  he does, but Fifth Sector got to him when he was at his weakest, and he doesn't have the willpower to get out now. He doesn't  _want_  to get out.''

The brunet watches silently as Yuuichi burrows his face in his hands. ''Kyousuke...'' he breathes quietly. They sit in silence for a few moments but then the elder slowly looks up with desperate eyes. ''Is there nothing we can do?''

The time traveler sighs softly and the elder's face falls, but the brunet isn't planning to leave it here. ''It's going to be very hard, but there is a way.''

Yuuichi's head snaps up, a tiny spark of hope in his brown orbs. Wordlessly he begs the brunet to continue.

Tenma smiles faintly. ''Well... I've already starting by irritating him.'' Yuuichi's eyebrows rise in surprise and the brunet chuckles softly. ''Next match, he  _will_  play due to certain circumstances. The team we're up against plays really roughly, but that's what will help us.''

The other blinks, confusion evident in his eyes. ''What do you mean? Why is that a good thing?''

The brunet's smile widens. ''When I say their plays are rough, I mean  _really_  rough. Life-long injury rough.''

''Wha-!'' the young man gasps in alarm and concern fills his brown orbs.

Before he can say anything else, the time traveler continues. ''If I'm right, your brother will get angry with them. He might be a Seed but he does have limits – injuring someone so far they can never play soccer again, for example.'' He casts an obvious look at Yuuichi's legs and sees the realization in his eyes. ''He won't stand for that. If you were to confront him after his determination starts to waver...''

''How do you know all this?'' whispers the navy-haired patient.

Tenma hesitates and averts his gaze. ''You wouldn't believe me even if I told you,'' he mutters finally. Even so, he can't deny the voice in the back of his head that imagines how nice it would be if he had someone to help him.  _'Don't even think about it. I_ can't _drag someone else into this!'_  he grits his teeth.

Yuuichi frowns slightly. ''Are... are you okay?'' he asks after a short moment of silence. His only response is a quick nod, and his frown deepens. ''Tenma-kun, you're not in some kind of trouble, are you?''

( _Damn him for acting so much like his future self. The future Yuuichi had become like an older brother to Tenma, always comforting him and simply_ listening _when the brunet had a problem which he didn't want to discuss with his teammates. With how much Tenma visited the Tsurugi household, he'd been practically adopted into the family._ )

The time traveler shrugs. ''Not directly,'' he mutters.

The older Tsurugi sibling bites his lip, looking worriedly at the younger boy. Somehow, the brunet reminds him so much of his own brother, yet at the same time he is completely different. But something ( _and Yuuichi doesn't have the slightest clue what that something is but he honestly doesn't care either_ ) makes him want to protect the brunet like he protects Kyousuke.

''I won't judge you, you know,'' he continues trying to persuade the boy. When Tenma continues to avoid his eyes, the young man falters. ''I know I'm in no position to be bugging you like this, but... you want to help me and my brother, and- well, you're the first one in a  _long_  time who has simply honest intentions, and I want to help you.'' Not once during his little speech do his eyes leave Tenma's face, and his voice is filled with sincerity.

The brunet smiles ruefully. ''You wouldn't believe me,'' he repeats softly.

( _Yuuichi's offer is tempting, so very tempting. To have someone to talk to, to confess everything. The stress of making everything go as it should, the loneliness of missing his friends, the fear of everything that's happening around him,_ to _him._ )

''Try me,'' challenges Yuuichi with a smile.

Tenma looks at him quietly, looking for any signs of insincerity, but the only thing he finds is genuine worry. ''Why would you help me?'' he asks finally, putting up a fake smile.

''Why would you help me and my brother?'' returns the young man equally.

The brunet's smile falters and then fades away.  _'Because three years from now, you have practically adopted me as your second younger brother. Because I can always count on you and Kyousuke. Because I love you like my own family. I don't want to see you hurt, or sad, or angry – I want you to be happy.'_  He breathes out slowly.  _'And that's why I can't tell you. I cannot force you to share this burden with me.'_

Instead of answering, he stands up and grabs his bag. He tries to ignore the sadness in Yuuichi's eyes but it doesn't work entirely as the young man hands him his phone back. ''I put my number in it,'' says the elder Tsurugi sibling. ''Keep me updated.''

Tenma nods. ''I will.'' He pauses for a moment but then continues. ''I ask you to wait with confronting your brother,'' he says softly, turning his back on the elder. ''Maybe I can convince him in the next match, but we'll only know that at the match that comes after. If he's still working with Fifth Sector then, you can talk to him. Please, Yuuichi-san. I don't want you, or your brother, to get hurt any more then you have to.''

He makes his way to the door but is stopped by Yuuichi's voice. ''Someone's going to get hurt,'' he says solemnly. ''We both know that that someone is most likely my brother. And I'm sure we both also know that I won't let that happen. I don't care what it is, but I'll protect Kyousuke even if I'm the one who gets hurt instead.''

Tenma balls his fists but doesn't turn around. When he speaks, his voice is void of emotion. ''Then you should know, Yuuichi-san, that if you won't let your brother get hurt, I won't let  _you_  get hurt. I'll protect you – both of you.''

He opens the door but falters when the elder's voice rings through the room behind him.

''That might be so, Tenma-kun, but who's going to protect  _you?''_

The time traveler leaves the room and closes the door behind him. He smiles sadly, looking at the closed door of his future friend's brother.

''I made a promise,'' he whispers quietly. ''I'm going to protect everyone. And I can't do that if there's someone who gets hurt for me, can I?''

' _There's always someone who has to pay the price in the end.'_


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

**Accidental Reverse Arc 1**

* * *

Tenma is on his way to the exit of the hospital, deep in thought as his mind keeps replaying the conversation with Yuuichi.  _'He's right, though,'_  whispers that traitorous little voice in the back of his head.  _'You're in deep, deep trouble here. All alone, with a physical condition you know next to nothing about, not knowing if you'll ever get back to your friends. Wouldn't a little help be nice?'_

The brunet shakes his head to get rid of the thought.  _'Even so, I won't let them get hurt. This is my problem and I'll solve it myself.'_

His thoughts return to the present when something-  _or rather, some_ one -suddenly walks ( _read: runs_ ) into him and he is knocked over with a startled yelp.

Tenma shakes his head while looking up from where he has fallen and-

He blinks.

' _You have got to be kidding.'_

There is a very familiar teenager looking down at him. His eyes are a dull blue and his hair is a mess of the brightest orange the time traveler has ever seen.

It's none other than Arakumo's captain, Amemiya Taiyou himself.

The two future friends stare at each other for a long, silent moment, Tenma out of surprise at seeing the orange and Taiyou out of shock at walking ( _more like running_ ) into someone.

Eventually, the brunet breaks the silence between them.

''I don't know who you are, but it seems I just fell for you.''

A surprised laugh leaves Taiyou's mouth and Tenma grins cheekily. The other calms down slightly. ''Sorry, didn't see you there,'' apologizes the Arakumo player as the time traveler stands up. ''Are you okay?''

Tenma raises an eyebrow, his cheeky grin growing, ''Except that I just fell for a stranger?''

The orange-haired teen rolls his eyes and shakes his head in amusement. ''I'll take that as a yes.''

The time traveler shrugs, still smiling. ''Why was a patient running through the hospital?'' he asks, taking a look at Taiyou's hospital clothes. ''You weren't trying to escape, were you?'' he asks, already knowing the answer.

( _Because honestly, Taiyou_ never _changes._ )

Unsurprisingly, the other teenager laughs sheepishly and rubs the back of his head. ''…maybe?'' he asks.

Before the brunet can react, another voice rings through the hallway. ''There you are!'' the two boys look up to see a purple-haired nurse walking towards them.

Taiyou starts to sweat and hides behind Tenma. ''Oh crap!''

Fuyuka reaches them and crosses her arms. ''Trying to escape again, huh?'' she asks the patient. Then her gaze shifts to the brunet and she smiles kindly. ''I hope he didn't cause too much trouble,'' she sighs, and then seems to think of something. ''Would you mind taking him back to his room? I'd do it myself, but there's been an emergency and if he was left to his own devices he'd just run off.''

Tenma nods, a little taken aback, and the woman smiles in relief. ''Really? Thank you!'' and she quickly continues on her way, leaving the two boys speechless.

Said two boys share a look. ''Well, that was… random,'' comments Tenma eventually, the orange nodding in agreement. ''But come on, I said I'd take you back to your room and I don't want to anger the nurse,'' he jokes.

Taiyou sighs as he leads the way to his room. ''Sorry about this,'' he says. ''First I literally ran into you and now you have to escort me back…''

The time traveler smiles in amusement.  _'Don't worry, Taiyou, your future self has caused a lot more trouble. At least you're still_ slightly _normal at this point in time.'_

Mentally he smirks, chuckling wickedly.  _'And that means I can easily mess with you now~'_

They reach the room and the Arakumo captain falls down on his bed, sulking. ''Mou, I almost escaped this time…''

Tenma chuckles softly. ''Next time better luck, Amemiya,'' he tells the other boy.  _'God, it's weird calling him by his last name.'_

Taiyou blinks. ''How do you know my name?'' and then, as an afterthought, ''and just call me Taiyou.''

The time traveler grins and gestures to the hallway. ''It was on the door,'' he tells the other ( _he's not entirely lying since it_ was _on the door, but that's not how he knows his name. Not that he needs to know that_ ) and shrugs casually. ''I'm Matsukaze Tenma.''

Arakumo's captain grins. ''Nice to meet you, Tenma! Say, do you like soccer?''

The brunet honestly doesn't know if he should laugh or sweatdrop.  _'And people call_ me _a soccer freak…'_  even so, he nods. ''Yep. Do you play for a team?'' he asks the orange-haired teen, sitting down in a chair next to Taiyou's bed.

The genius soccer play nods enthusiastically. ''Yeah, for Arakumo Academy. I'm actually not allowed to play since I'm ill and all, but I'm a lot better now so I might even play in the tournament,'' he grins. ''I'm the captain, when I'm not in the hospital at least.''

( _Tenma is slightly surprised by how open the orange is. The first time 'round he didn't talk about his status as Arakumo's captain_ ( _he didn't even tell Tenma his name, for that matter!_ )  _but then the brunet realizes it's because Taiyou doesn't know that he plays for Raimon yet._ )

''That would be nice,'' mutters Tenma, suddenly lost in thought.  _'Taiyou will most likely play in the Arakumo-Raimon match, if it even gets to that point anyway, but… his Keshin is_ really _strong. If my theory about my Keshin is right…'_  his mind goes back to what he read on his laptop the day before, and he frowns slightly.

Taiyou's voice breaks through his thoughts. ''Tenma? Something wrong?''

The brunet blinks and immediately smiles. ''No, just realized something,'' he reassures the genius soccer player. ''But hey, maybe we'll play against each other, then!''

The Arakumo player gapes at him. ''Wait, are you serious?!''

Tenma nods. ''Yep! I'm a player for Raimon.''

''Eh? Seriously?'' Taiyou gets a calculating glint in his dull blue orbs as he scans the brunet. ''Hmm… hadn't expected that, actually,'' he mutters.

Tenma's eye twitches.

( _The soccer genius had told him that, at first glance, he wouldn't have thought the brunet was a soccer player. Said brunet countered that soccer was the second sport he played, to the surprise of almost everyone listening._ )

''I am aware of that,'' he mutters. ( _He had been surprised when the orange-haired teen first pointed it out, but after he got over his shock he wondered if he should blame his mother for making him love_ her _favorite sport as well._ )

( _It wasn't widelyl known, but Tenma was raised in a family where sports were very important._ )

( _…he wouldn't deny that he was the first soccer player, though._ )

''Well, I'll be looking forward to facing Raimon anyway!'' grins Arakumo's captain. Tenma answers his smile with one of his own, and the rest of the afternoon is spend talking about everything they can think of – mostly soccer, though.

* * *

That night, after dinner, Tenma is twirling his pen around as he stares at his English homework, bored out of his mind. ''Note to self. Repeating lessons you learned three years ago is boring,'' he mutters, sighing.

It's not only that the homework is too easy. He could've been done half an hour ago, but his thoughts keep going back to Taiyou's observation from before. ''Ugh… he's not even trying and he can still be annoying.'' Tenma drops his pen and leans his head on his desk.

Suddenly the voice of his relative breaks him out of his musings. ''Tenma! Telephone!''

The brunet blinks and stands up, hurrying silently down the stairs. Aki holds up a phone, mouthing 'your mother' as he takes it from her. ''Hello?'' he asks as he pressed the phone to his ear.

'' _Tenma! It's so good to hear your voice again, sweetheart.''_

The time traveler smiles at the familiar voice of his mother. ''Okaa-san!'' he chirps happily.

His mother chuckles.  _''How's school, sweetie? Are the teachers nice? Do you have a lot of homework? Did you join the soccer club? Made friends yet?''_

Tenma laughs at her enthusiasm, making his way out to the garden. ''School's great. The teachers are nice, maybe a little strict. Homework is fine. Yes, I joined the soccer club, and it's great! The captain is really nice and so is the keeper! Aoi joined as a manager and there's a really nice boy from my class, Nishizono Shinsuke. We've already played two teams and won once!''

'' _That's great, sweetie!''_ cheers his mother.  _''Congratulations! When is your next match? Maybe your father and I can watch!''_

The brunet's smile widens. His parents are usually really busy with work so it's a treat if they can watch his matches. ''Next Saturday, noon,'' he tells her.

His mother is silent for a moment and he can almost see the thoughtful expression on her face.  _''Hmm… I don't think we've anything scheduled for then. I'll let you know, okay?''_

''Yes, that'd be great,'' he says, his genuine smile widening. ''How's everything back home?''

'' _Just peachy,''_  grumbles his mother.  _''There have been some troubles with our newest trading partners, but it'll be fine. It's just really stressing, nothing for you to worry about.''_

Tenma sighs in relief. ''Good,'' he says. ''How's Otou-san?''

His mother chuckles.  _''He's been complaining because he hasn't been able to ice skate lately.''_

Yes, might be interesting to know: his father loves ice skating as much as Tenma loves soccer ( _he and his parents all have their own favorite sport._ )

The time traveler laughs. ''Tell him I pity him,'' he jokes. ''And that I miss him.''

His mother sobers up a bit.  _''I will.''_  She pauses for a moment.  _''We miss you too, Tenma, and we're so proud of you.''_

The brunet smiles gently. ''Thanks, Okaa-san.''

'' _On another note, how's your swimming?''_

( _His mother's favorite sport is swimming, and she's raised her son as a swimmer as well. He loves it, but he likes soccer better. His mother knows and respects this but he gets his stubborn streak from her and she can't help asking him to swim. Not that he really minds, he loves the water almost as much as he loves the field. After all, he's been swimming longer than he's played soccer._ )

He sighs and smiles at her usual antics. ''Okaa-san, I'm in the middle of a soccer tournament right now,'' he reminds her gently. ''I'm not joining any swimming competitions.''

He knows she's pouting. He just knows it.  _''That might be true, sweetie, but you can just swim for fun, can't you?''_

Tenma blinks, he honestly hadn't thought of it like that, and he  _does_  kind of miss the water. ''Yeah, that's true,'' he mutters. ''Hm, I do miss it a little…''

His mother cheers.  _''Then go swimming this week, okay?''_ she jokes.

But the brunet nods even though it's just a joke and she can't see him. ''I think I'll go tomorrow after practice.''

The woman is silent for a moment, but then laughs softly.  _''Well, if you really want to,''_  she says, but he can hear how happy it makes her that her only son has inherited her love for the water.  _''But I have to go now, sweetheart,''_  she says, a bit sadly.  _''My train has almost reached the station…''_

A flash of hurt shoots through him but he holds it back and puts up a fake cheerful tone. ''It's fine! You're busy. If you finish your work early, maybe you can go swimming as well!''

His mother sounds relieved that he doesn't sound disappointed.  _''Yes, that sounds nice! Bye then, sweetheart, I'll see if we can watch that match of yours! Good luck!''_

''Thanks, Okaa-san. Bye!'' He ends the call and sighs, putting the phone back in its usual place. After a moment of thought he walks to the living room, where Aki is currently rearranging the flowers. ''Aki-nee, can I go swimming tomorrow?''

If the woman is surprised by the sudden request, she doesn't show it. Instead she smiles softly at him. ''Of course!''

* * *

The next morning Tenma and Shinsuke enter the clubroom to see their fellow soccer players mad and irritated.  _'Well, what an amazing way to start the day,'_  thinks the brunet dryly.

''It's a pain,'' says Minamisawa as he looks at Sangoku and Shindou. ''Quit pushing your ideas of soccer onto us.''

' _Now that I think about it… they're doing the same to us,'_ realizes Tenma.  _'Saying they don't want to play real soccer…'_

Meanwhile, Shindou stands up. ''Minamisawa-san. That match was the first time since I joined Jr. High that I found soccer to be so much fun,'' he states seriously, Sangoku next to him clearly agreeing with the captain.

''I know that,'' says Minamisawa, narrowing his eyes. Everyone in the room is looking at the two. ''But that's different. Do you think Fifth Sector will keep quiet about us going against their orders? Do you guys not care if the club gets disbanded?'' he shoots a look at Shinsuke and Tenma, and then does a double take when he sees the brunet staring at his phone like it's the most intriguing thing in the world. The forward narrows his eyes and shoots the brunet a death glare.

The others are silent, waiting for the brunet to react to the death glare because Minsamisawa's death glares are not to be taken lightly. ( _But Tenma is best friends with Tsurugi Kyousuke of all people, so it doesn't really affect him._ ) After what feels like an eternity of silence, the time traveler slowly looks up with a solemn expression on his face.

''I just discovered frogs are herbivores.''

Everyone stares at him in bewilderment, pure silence in the clubroom. It's finally broken by a snort everyone looks at the source. Shindou is smiling in amusement at the disbelieving expressions on his teammates' faces. ''Frogs are carnivores,'' he tells the first-year.

The time traveler shakes his head dramatically. ''But what if they aren't?'' he asks. ''What if they simply want us to think they're carnivores? Like a… survival instinct. What if they simply want to look more dangerous in order to protect themselves?''

Sangoku raises an eyebrow. ''Okay. And who would they scare?''

The brunet pauses at that, trying to think of an answer. ''I don't know. Maybe they have a secret, terrifying enemy we don't know about, like… mutant carrots!'' he exclaims.

( _He represses a shiver as he remembers the evil grins and glowing purple eyes, armed with white fluff bombs…_ )

''Mutant carrots,'' deadpans the captain slowly. ''Very terrifying.''

Grey eyes, deadly serious, settle on him and the brunet speaks in a low, eerie voice.  _''Never_  underestimate mutant carrots. The last time I encountered them, I had to fight for my life.''

The silence that falls is disbelieving and a little bit wary. On one hand, the Raimon team is  _seriously_  wondering about the sanity of their junior, while said junior is remembering a vicious battle between his future teammates and the orange mutant monsters.

Shinsuke breaks the silence. ''You've fought mutant carrots,'' he says slowly. ''How, exactly, did you encounter those mutant carrots?''

Tenma shrugs, suddenly cheerful again. ''Cooking accident.''

Raimon shares a few freaked out looks and Sangoku is the one to sum up all their thoughts in a single word.

''Aha.''

* * *

Raimon's time traveler isn't surprised to see Minamisawa, Kurama, Amagi, Hayami and Kuramada walk away from the group just as Shindou is about to tell them about practice.

Hamano smiles apologetically. ''Shindou, you've gotta understand. We just want to protect our soccer,'' he says and joins the group.

Tenma watches quietly and tilts his head in thought.  _'Hmm… I suppose I've taken the task of stirring up the revolution too lightly, huh…'_

''Come on, let's starts the stretches,'' says Sangoku with a sad look at the group that is currently starting their own practice. Tenma follows his other teammates with a long look at the others.

' _I almost forgot how hard it was when we started out…'_

Not long after, everyone is taken by surprise by the sudden appearance of none other than Tsurugi Kyousuke. He walks to Endou, his eyes narrowed in a mix of emotions only Tenma seems to notice. ''Use me in the next game,'' he states coldly.

''You?'' repeats Endou, not intimidated at all by the harsh stare the Seed gives him.

Tsurugi doesn't hesitate when he answers. ''Yeah.''

Tenma blinks as he shuts out Hayami ( _who is, once again, freaking out. The brunet has to admit, he kind of misses the older Hayami – still not the bravest on the team, but he's learned not to freak out at every small thing…_ )

''He's made his move,'' mutters Sangoku as he glances at Shindou, who is standing next to him.

The captain nods. ''But coach Endou should know he's a Seed.''

( _Tenma is the only one who is not surprised when their coach responds with a bright grin and a ''Okay, you'll play.'' Even Tsurugi himself seems suspicious – but maybe that's because the guy's suspicious of_ everything _at this point in time. Seriously, he could be suspicious of a newborn kitten or something._ )

''I don't know what you've got up your sleeve, but I'll play the way I want,'' states the Seed after a moment of silence. He doesn't react to Endou's smile and simple ''I don't mind'', instead turning around and making his way to leave the field.

He would've left, if Shindou hadn't interfered. ''Wait a minute, coach!'' protests the captain. ''He's a Seed. It's beyond question that he'll do something to stop us.''

Endou blinks and smiles. ''Yeah, maybe,'' he answers simply.

''Then why?'' demands the captain fiercely. ''Aren't you the one who said we're aiming for real victory?!''

''That's why,'' states Endou seriously. ''I'm allowing Tsurugi to play because we're aiming for victory.'' Any sign of the cheerful coach from just minutes ago is gone, replaced by an iron resolve.

''I don't understand!'' protests Shindou angrily.

Tsurugi's voice keeps him from saying anything else. ''By the way, captain.'' Said captain grits his teeth as he turns to look at the Seed's smugly smiling face. ''Just for your information…'' the forward finally looks at Shindou, his smirk widening. ''Your next opponent is Mannouzaka Jr. High, with a score of 1-0. Raimon loses.''

The Raimon members who are actually fighting against Fifth Sector ( _plus Kirino_ ) grit their teeth, as Tsurugi leaves with a dramatic swing of his jacket. ''Got that?''

Sangoku frowns at his retreating form and places his hands on his hips. ''It sounds like he's going to end the match exactly as ordered,'' he states.

And suddenly Hayami is there. ''Th-then let's listen to him! If we start obeying again, the club might not get disbanded!'' he tries.

''I don't know about that,'' says Kirino suddenly. ''If they keep overlooking our rebellious actions, it would be setting a bad example,'' he states seriously.

Hayami flinches back. ''Then that means we're already…''

( _Tenma hides a grin. He's already explained to everyone that Fifth Sector can't really do anything to them, and maybe they don't believe him but it's true. He's done this before, after all._ )

Meanwhile, Minamisawa is talking and Tenma forces his attention to the purple-haired player. ''Raimon's soccer club is already in the trash bin.'' He looks at Endou. ''Coach Endou,'' he states casually. ''I quit.''

Everyone stares at him, except for Tenma, who is currently thanking his mother silently bec _ause he could_ really _go for a swim after this._

''Quit? Are you serious?'' asks Kurumada, obviously shocked.

Minamisawa doesn't look at him. ''Yeah, I can't play along with this anymore.''

''Are you able to quit?'' somehow Endou's expression is completely open and honest, yet it doesn't show any of his emotions.

''Yes,'' answers Minamisawa without hesitation. He bows slightly. ''Goodbye.'' And with that he walks away.

Raimon's time traveler closes his eyes in anticipation, already hearing Kurama's angry voice. ''The one destroying Raimon's soccer club isn't Fifth Sector or Tsurugi… it's really  _you!''_  he spats, and the brunet can feel the glare the forward shoots him.

But he doesn't open his eyes. He can't.  _'I'm sorry.'_

As the silence stretches on, the brunet can't help but mentally flinch as the words keep replaying in his ears. He  _knows_  Kurama doesn't really hate him, that he's just angry right now.

( _Tenma carefully balanced the stack of paperwork –_ why _coach Gouenji wanted him to take care of the club's minor problems was beyond him_ (even though he'd already been doing that in his last two years as Raimon's captain, just without the actual paperwork)  _but he didn't complain, even though he hates it._

_The stack he was carrying was so high he almost couldn't see where he was going, but he'd managed to come this far and he wasn't going to drop it now._

_Even so, he could feel himself stumble, too out of balance to catch himself. Just as he almost tripped, someone else was there to steady him. ''Hey, careful with that,'' said an amused voice._

_Tenma glanced up to see pitch black eyes and smiled. ''Thanks, Kurama-san,'' he thanked the forward, who waved it away with an upward twist of his lips._

'' _Ah, don't mention it.''_ )

He swallows at the memory, automatically comparing the gentle voice of his friend to the harsh tone from his past self, trying to convince himself Kurama  _doesn't hate him._

' _In this world he does.'_

His eyes fly open as the traitorous little voice in the back of his head whispers the painful sentence. Instead of outwardly reacting to his sadness and pain, he turns to the people who can actually stand him right now, plastering a fake grin on his face. ''Come on, let's practice!''

* * *

The moment training ends, Tenma flees to the changing rooms, changes into his school uniform and packs his bag in record time. He's just zipping up his bag when the others arrive.

''What's got you in such a hurry?'' asks Sangoku softly. The hopeful glint that has become normal to see in his eyes is completely gone, yet the older boy can still fake curiosity.

Tenma smiles distantly. ''Ah, just have to be somewhere,'' he says absentmindedly. ''The sooner I leave, the more time I have. Goodbye!'' with that he quickly leaves the changing room.

He hurries down the street, only a little bit out of breath when he reaches the indoor swimming pool. An excited smile tugs at his lips as he enters the building.

Ten minutes later he is standing at the edge of the pool, looking at the clear water. There are no other people at this time of day, but he doesn't mind – actually, it's quite refreshing to be on his own for once.

Tenma closes his eyes behind his goggles for a moment and breathes slowly. Then his eyes snap open and he dives into the pool, feeling the water surround him as he gracefully crosses the distance between the two sides of the pool.

If he's a good soccer player, he's an amazing swimmer. He's been swimming since before he can remember. His mother's love for the water definitely overtook her common sense, and the only reason he hasn't drowned at a very young age is because of his slightly-more-rational father.

Not that his mother would've let him drown, no. No, she's the one who taught him how to move through the water like he's an actual creature of the sea. Fast, flowing, graceful. His mother's beauty definitely shows for real if she is in the water, more like a mermaid than a human. She makes it seem so easy yet so impossible, so  _beautiful._

And he inherited it. His mother often tells him his body is made to swim, to move through the water like he belongs there instead of on the land. She taught him the sea is his friend, she taught him how to live, how to  _breathe_  the water.

His father is the same, only when it comes to ice skating. Just as passionate, just as graceful as his mother is in the water. He taught his son to love the ice, to love the way the wind blows around him as he races over the frozen water.

He took to that as well, truly a child of his parents. Tenma loves both sports equally, having known them his whole life. While other parents might've been scared,  _his_  parents took him to the pool and the ice before he was even a year old.

And then Tenma met soccer. He was as passionate as his parents were when it came to their respective sport. And his parents recognized it, recognized the love and the passion in his eyes every time it was mentioned, and they encouraged it.

Yet they never made him forget about his love for water, liquid or frozen. Because even if he loves the field, he's still born on the ice and in the sea.

When he joined Raimon the first time 'round, he'd been so obsessed with soccer that he forgot about ice skating and swimming. It took him a holiday back to Okinawa and a trip with his parents to the water to remember it, and during his second-year he started visiting the pool and the ice rink again.

Yet this time will be different. This time, he won't forget.

He loses track of time as he moves through the water, first fast to get rid of his build up stress and anger, then slow and graceful to enjoy the feel of the flow around him.

''Hey!''

Tenma looks up at the young voice that suddenly echoes through the room that was only filled with the splashing of water mere seconds ago.

A girl of about seventeen is standing at the edge of the pool, wearing a blue shirt and white pants. From the shirt the brunet easily recognizes her as one of the workers. The girl has her curly brown hair in a ponytail, hold together by a black ribbon.

She smiles when she sees that she has his attention, waving him over. The brunet gracefully crosses the distance to the other side of the pool. ''Hai?'' he asks, looking up at the girl.

''Ah, I apologize, but we're closing now,'' she says, smiling apologetically.

Tenma blinks. ''Really? It's already that late?'' he asks, surprised, and then chuckles sheepishly. ''I guess I lost track of time…''

The girl's smile widens. ''I noticed. You're a really good swimmer,'' she compliments as he climbs out of the pool.

The brunet blushes. ''You were watching?''

She chuckles at his embarrassment. ''Only for a little while,'' she admits. ''You're amazing in the water.''

The time traveler grabs his towel and throws a smile at her. ''I was practically born in the water,'' he tells her, and then extends a hand. ''Matsukaze Tenma.''

The girl shakes his hand. ''Shinohara Maiko,'' she introduces herself. ''Nice to meet you.''

''Likewise. You work here?'' he asks with a look at her shirt.

Shinohara nods. ''Yep! This place belongs to my uncle,'' she tells him as they make their way to the changing rooms. ''I haven't seen you here before…''

Tenma laughs softly. ''I haven't been here before. My mother loves swimming and taught me how to before I could walk, or at least, that's what my father says. She managed to convince me to come here.''

The girl raises an eyebrow. ''But don't you like swimming? You seemed to enjoy yourself back there.''

The time traveler immediately nods. ''I love it, but personally I like soccer more,'' he answers easily. ''I guess I was just so caught up in chasing the ball that I forgot about the water,'' and then, as an afterthought, ''and the ice, for that matter.''

Shinohara raises an eyebrow. ''Ice?'' she repeats curiously.

He nods. ''Yep, my father is the same with ice skating as my mom is with swimming and how I am with soccer. Guess I should start looking for an ice rink as well,'' he jokes, just as they reach the changing rooms. ''It was nice to meet you, Shinohara-san. I hope to see you around again.''

The brown-haired girl nods with a friendly smile. ''Hope to see you around, Matsukaze-kun.''

He smiles. ''Yeah.''

* * *

''Holy Road's Kanto A block district preliminaries! Mannouzaka Jr. High versus Raimon Jr. High is about to begin!''

Tenma watches quietly as five of Raimon's players announce to coach Endou they're not going to play in this match.

Kurumada.

Hayami.

Hamano.

Amagi.

Kurama.

Endou listens to their words grimly and then looks at Raimon's time traveler. ''Tenma, what about you?''

The brunet tilts his head thoughtfully. ''I want to play real soccer,'' he says finally. ''I want to play with everyone else. With the rest of Raimon's soccer club.''

Shinsuke immediately nods in agreement. ''Me too!''

Their coach looks at Sangoku and Shindou, who both nod in determination. Another voice suddenly speaks up.

''Geez, alright…'' Tenma smiles at Kirino's voice. The defender has a look on his face that basically screams 'why is there so much trouble in my life' as he sighs. ''Shindou, I'll join you.''

Shindou's expression softens. ''Kirino…'' he says gratefully.

The pink-haired defender answers the smile send his way with one of his own.

Tenma smiles at the show of their friendship, when he's broken out of his thoughts by his future best friend. ''Don't forget,'' says Tsurugi. ''Fifth Sector ordered Raimon to lose, 1-0.''

The time traveler raises an unimpressed eyebrow, something he has learned from being Raimon's captain for three years. ''Did you even listen to  _anything_  I've said since the day we first met?'' he asks dryly. ''Seriously. You're not gonna change my mind, move on already.''

The forward tskes. ''You're annoying,'' he mutters.

The brunet rolls his eyes. ''Like I haven't heard that before,'' he responds. ''If there's anyone who knows how annoying I can be, it would be me since I have to live with myself.'' The Seed glares at him but the time traveler doesn't pay attention to it, instead walking to his position.

Tenma is stretching a bit before the match starts when someone suddenly speaks to him. ''Listen up.'' Pitch black eyes narrow at him. ''If you ever try to win, I'll stop you. I'm protecting my own soccer.''

Kurama moves in the direction of his position when Tenma's voice stops him.

''You know, Kurama-senpai…'' the forward turns around, shocked by the burning resolve in those blueish grey orbs. Tenma narrows his eyes slightly, challenging.

''So am I.''


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

**Accidental Reverse Arc 1**

* * *

 

The moment the whistle sounds, Tenma races forward. He might not remember every match he played, but it would take a lot to make him forget this.

Mannouzaka's forward, a boy with long, light grey hair whose name is apparently Shirato ( _Tenma mentally thanks the commentator_ ) moves towards Raimon's half of the field. The brunet grits his teeth as he passes a shocked Shindou, already seeing Tsurugi move.

' _If Tsurugi gets the ball it'll be too late!'_

Just before Raimon's forward can steal the ball from Shirato and score an own goal, Tenma is there and manages to weave through the two forwards in a mix of speed and grace, stealing the ball from between them.

He turns to Tsurugi. ''I won't let you destroy Raimon,'' he says quietly, so quiet only the navy-haired teen can hear it. Said navy-haired teen grits his teeth.

''You can't stop me,'' he hisses furiously.

Tenma's eyes soften in sadness as he passes to Shindou, his thoughts going a mile a minute.  _'Did I do the right thing? Did that own goal of Tsurugi have an effect on Raimon's willingness to fight Fifth Sector?'_

He sighs, deciding to let it go for now and focus on the match instead. Shindou is currently running towards Mannouzaka's half, but the captain of the other field is already there, stealing it from him. ''Isozaki steals the ball!''

Tenma moves to interfere, his eyes widening in realization when he sees the look in Isozaki's eyes. ''Not again...!''

Instead of trying to face Mannouzaka's captain, the time traveler scans the field. There. Forward Shirato is running over the right side of the field, making eye contact with his captain.

And between them stands Hamano.

Without a moment to lose, Tenma runs towards the dark blue-haired boy, seeing how Isozaki seemingly makes a pass.  _'Just a bit faster!'_

He reaches Hamano just in time, seeing the ball curve towards his teammate, who will definitely get hit. That is, if Tenma didn't jump in front just a moment before it reaches Hamano and kicks the ball forcefully, only a few feet from his teammate.

The ball falls on the ground, rolling away a few feet. Tenma glares at Mannouzaka's captain for a moment and then turns around to look at his teammate.

Hamano's eyes are wide open in shock and his mouth opens and closes as if he wants to say something yet not knowing what. The brunet smiles weakly at him. ''You okay?'' he asks, concern clear in his voice.

Something in Hamano's brown orbs shifts as he nods mutely. ''Y-yeah, fine,'' he mutters, frowning slightly as he stares at Tenma's face.

' _Okay... if there's one thing I know, it's that he didn't act like that before...'_  the time traveler frowns slightly at the strange look in Hamano's eyes but then pushes the thought to the back of his mind and instead turns around again to look at the rest of the field.  _'As I thought. Even though Tsurugi didn't score that own goal, Mannouzaka is still going to hurt us. Crush us.'_

He's shaken from his thoughts by some of Raimon's other members, who are now surrounding them. ''What was that?'' asks Kurumada, obviously shocked.

Tenma crosses his arms and frowns. ''I knew it,'' he whispers softly as he sees Isozaki's annoyed look.

''Knew what?'' asks Shindou, who heard him. The brunet faces his teammates again, hesitating for a moment. ''Tenma, what is it?'' asks the game maker again, a shadow in his eyes.

' _Seems like he's realized it.'_

The time traveler sighs softly. ''That wasn't a pass,'' he says finally. ''They were planning on hitting Hamano-senpai.''

Their shocked reactions are completely expected.

Tenma's frown deepens. ''I don't think they're going to play the least bit fair,'' he warns. ''Just like that match against the Black Knights...''

Shindou frowns deeply and grits his teeth. ''Tenma, are you sure?''

''Hai.''

The captain turns to his other teammates, trusting the first-year's words ( _Tenma internally frowns in confusion at this – yeah, the game maker doesn't exactly hate him, but to trust him blindly like that? Quite... unexpected_ ). ''Everyone, be careful!'' he announces to the field. ''They're planning to hurt us!''

Hamano tries to laugh it off, but his eyes are wide and it sounds fake. ''I-it was just one pass, how can you be so sure?'' he asks the brunet.

Tenma looks up at the sky. ''Trust me, that pass wasn't an accident. The force, the way it curved, the way those guys over there are glaring at us, it was all planned.''

The match continues, but even with the warning Raimon can't do anything against the foul play. The time traveler grits his teeth as  _another_  ball hits one of his players ( _because even though he might not wear the captain band, he'll_ always _be captain and they'll_ always _be_ his _players, and seeing his team hurt like this..._ )

Again and again, the Raimon Eleven are hit by Mannouzaka's 'passes', until none of them are getting up anymore. When Sangoku tries to move up, Isozaki shoots the ball so harshly that the keeper flies against the goal post.

Tenma grits his teeth as Isozaki retrieves the ball and shoots it at Shindou's crouching form, Raimon's captain screaming and falling backwards due to the force. He doesn't get up.

The whole stadium is speechless. The ball rolls away, stopping in the middle of the field.

No one reacts, as if they're waiting for something to happen.

' _Damn it...'_

He clenches his eyes shut.

' _Damn it!'_

His eyes fly open and focus on one face.

' _I already know the future, and yet... and yet I can't protect anyone!'_

Gathering his strength, he slowly moves to his feet. It feels like all eyes in the stadium are on him, yet he doesn't pay attention to them, only looking at those orange orbs.

When he's standing, he slowly walks forward. Mannouzaka's players let him pass, seemingly waiting for him to do something.

He doesn't care, still staring at the cold gaze.

After a few feet, he stops walking. Both are now at an equal distance, the ball lying between them. Silence, everywhere. On the field, on the benches, in the audience.

Pure silence.

''Is this what you want?''

Tenma's voice is a mere whispering, his eyes not leaving Tsurugi's. The forward's only reaction is a slight furrowing of his eyebrows.

The brunet smiles yet it doesn't contain any positive feelings. When he speaks again, his voice is as loud as he'd normally talk in a conversation, yet everyone hears it.

''Is this really what you want, Tsurugi Kyousuke?''

The Seed doesn't react and Tenma's eyes sadden. He sighs quietly, slowly walking forward. Mannouzaka's players stiffen yet don't stop him.

The time traveler reaches the ball. Everyone seems to wait with bated breath for his next actions.

He softly kicks the ball. It rolls a few feet further, until it stops in front of Tsurugi. The forward's eyes widen in alarm and suspicion, and he gazes wordlessly at the brunet.

Tenma looks back without any hesitation and he can see Tsurugi's resolve waver at his stare, looking like he can see into his soul.

''Go ahead,'' says Tenma softly. ''Hit me.''

The Seed's mouth falls open in disbelief.

The brunet shrugs. ''That's what you want, right? To destroy Raimon?'' he questions, still in a quiet voice. ''Then go ahead. Do it. Hit me.''

Tsurugi seems to hesitate for a moment longer but then shakes himself out of his daze. He makes a move to kick the ball, eyes not leaving Tenma's determined ones that seem to speak all the words his mouth can't say.

The forward kicks the ball harshly. Tenma only breaks eye contact when the ball hits him in the chest, knocking all the air out of him. He staggers backwards, gasping, but manages to keep his footing.

He straightens, orange locking on grey again.

Without breaking eye contact, Tenma kicks the ball at his feet to Tsurugi again, a wordless invitation to continue.

( _Because that first ball, while painful, wasn't shot with Kyousuke's full power._ )

After a noticeable shorter moment of hesitation, the Seed kicks the ball again. And again, the brunet staggers backwards, only just keeping himself from falling on the ground.

And  _again,_  he straightens, meeting the forward's orange gaze. The ball at his feet is kicked back gently to the Seed, who narrows his eyes but takes the invitation.

The ball flies through the air again, this time with even more force.

Tenma grits his teeth to keep from screaming as the ball hits him. He moves a few feet backwards from the force, kicking the ball to Tsurugi again just before his legs give out underneath him and he sinks to the ground.

The opening is clear, yet Tsurugi doesn't take it.

The time traveler raises an eyebrow, struggling to regain his even breathing. ''What is it?'' he asks without any real curiosity. ''Why don't you shoot? This is what you wanted, right? To destroy Raimon...''

Finally the Seed speaks. ''I...'' he pauses, hesitating.

The brunet gathers his strength and slowly stands up again. He calmly walks forward, forcing himself not to flinch at the pain that shoots through his limbs at the movements.

He reaches his future friend and gently takes the ball from before his feet. Without saying a word, Tenma turns around and kicks the ball to Raimon's goal.

''Wha-!'' Tsurugi can't stop the shocked shout from leaving his mouth at the sight.

The brunet watches emotionlessly as the ball lands just a few feet in front of Raimon's goal. Ignoring the shocked expressions from his other teammates, he turns to Tsurugi.

''1-0, right?'' he asks quietly, and stunned orange eyes meet his own grey orbs. ''This is what you were planning to do, wasn't it? An own goal?'' he gestures to the ball lying innocently in front of the goal. ''Here's your chance. I can't stop you if you wanted to.''

With that he remains silent again, waiting for the Seed to do something.

Tsurugi, however, doesn't seem to know  _what_  to do. He stares at the unmoving ball and the brunet can see the storm of emotions darkening his orange orbs.

Confusion.

Disbelief.

Shock.

Anger.

Frustration.

Fear.

Sadness.

Pain.

Tenma sighs quietly, yet the forward standing next to him can still hear it. His orange orbs fall on him again, the uncertainty sipping through the mask.

The time traveler smiles at him. ''This isn't you,'' he whispers. ''This isn't who you are, Tsurugi Kyousuke. Am I wrong?''

''Screw this!''

Isozaki retrieves the ball and shoots with all the force he can muster. It hits Tenma square in the chest and the brunet cries out in pain as he falls on the ground. He doesn't move.

''What the hell do you think you're doing, Tsurugi?!'' demands Mannouzaka's captain.

Raimon's Seed stares at the unmoving form of Tenma for a moment and then his eyes dart back to Isozaki. Tsurugi shakes his head and his eyes narrow. ''Nothing,'' he grits out, taking the ball from the other Seed.

He looks over his shoulder at the unresponsive form of the brunet. ''I am a Seed,'' he says even though he's not sure that the time traveler is listening. ''And I will destroy Raimon!''

He kicks the ball, shooting it in Raimon's goal.

''G-goal! Tsurugi's own goal makes the score 1-0 for Mannouzaka!'' stutters the commentator.

Isozaki grins. ''That's what we like to see,'' he says coldly. ''It's over.''

''Not yet.''

The captain whips his head around at the voice, his eyes widening in disbelief as he sees how Tenma slowly stands up. His eyes are burning with a fire that's more blue than grey and the Seed actually takes a step backwards, a shiver going down his spine.

The time traveler narrows his eyes. ''Not. Yet.''

''What?!'' hisses Isozaki. He turns around completely, furiously, and shoots the ball at the brunet again, even harder than before.

Tenma cries out again as he hits the ground. Mannouzaka's captain smirks. ''There. Now you can go to sleep like the rest of them!'' he looks at the unmoving form of the brunet for a second and then turns his back on him again, just like his fellow Mannouzaka players.

Raimon's future captain struggles to get up again, his whole body shaking in pain and exhaustion. The players still standing stare at him in shock, not believing what their eyes are telling them.

''Raimon...'' breathes Tenma, his voice shaking in exhaustion. ''Raimon will beat Fifth Sector! We will protect our soccer!'' he meets Isozaki's furious gaze head-on. ''And for that, we have to keep winning.''

''You little brat!'' Isozaki's eye twitches. ''I'll crush you!'' he kicks the ball again, hitting Tenma square in the face. The brunet cries out as he falls on the ground, again, and doesn't move. Again.

''Quit wasting our time,'' growls Mannouzaka's captain after the brunet doesn't move for a while.

He is, once again, taken by surprise when said brunet  _does_  move. ''I w-will win!'' Tenma stands up, moving forward towards Isozaki – and the ball.

One of Mannouzaka's midfielders, Busujima, completely loses his composure, shooting ball after ball at the brunet with all the strength he has. Even so, the brunet stands up, the white-haired midfielder staring with stunned eyes.

''I will win,'' Tenma repeats, his resolve clear in his voice and almost glowing blue eyes.

''Can't you guys do anything right?!'' Tsurugi pushes Busujima out of the way, kicking the ball high in the air. ''This is how you destroy someone!'' he jumps after the ball, ignoring Shindou's alarmed shout as he shoots the ball at the brunet.

Tenma doesn't look at it, instead gazing at Tsurugi's blazing orange orbs. For a split second their eyes meet and the brunet's lips twitch upwards, the forward's own eyes widening, and then the ball hits its target.

The time traveler can almost hear the shocked gasps but ignores it, fighting to open his eyes.  _'Damnit, Kyousuke you are in so much trouble when I return,'_  he promises absentmindedly and then forces his body to move again.

Yet it's easier said than done, because while Mannouzaka's players are strong, their shots are  _nothing_  compared to Tsurugi's.

''I have to win.''

Tsurugi's head whips around at the determined yet pained voice, seeing the brunet sitting up again. ''Why? Why are you standing back up?!''

''Why?'' repeats Tenma, the blue fire in his eyes glowing even brighter. ''Because I love soccer!''

( _And because it's a nice revenge, pissing the younger version of Kyousuke off. And because he can't stand seeing Kyousuke in so much pain. And because it's fun._ ( _But right now, it's mostly about soccer._ ))

The time traveler is not surprised when Isozaki kicks the ball to him. ''Okay then,'' says Mannouzaka's captain. ''In that case...'' he smirks. ''Just try and protect it,'' he challenges. ''Beat us and protect your beloved soccer.''

( _Tenma wonders about his next actions. Taking Isozaki's challenge is risky – the opposite team will try to injure him,_ badly, _and he has no guarantee that Tsurugi will save him again. On the other hand, it could be the only way to get the Seed on his side._ )

He glances at his future friend.  _'I've got no choice.'_  He sighs as he takes the ball and starts to run.  _'I_ have _to avoid the first player, otherwise Tsurugi won't react in time,'_  he realizes as he sees one of Mannouzaka's midfielders enter his vision.

The first time 'round he hadn't noticed the midfielder and even if he did, he wouldn't have realized the real purpose of that sliding. But now he's three years older and he might not have his older, stronger body, but his knowledge has not disappeared and now he can clearly see that the sliding is  _not_  a safe one. No, this one is definitely made with the intention to hurt him.

No matter how much his mind screams at him to avoid it, the brunet only changes the rhythm in which he steps slightly so that he is just lifting his foot when the midfielder hits it. Instead of breaking his leg, like the obvious purpose was, it now simply disrupts his run for a moment.

The brunet easily catches his balance, ignoring the shouts from his teammates and instead keeping his attention on Mannouzaka's players.

' _If I miss only one of them, the consequences could be horrible.'_

He notices Isozaki from the corner of his eyes just a second too late and mentally prays that Tsurugi will push him out of the way again, because he won't be able to evade this one.

And then someone slams into him and he loses his balance, falling onto the ground harshly. Yet the pain of the fall diminish when he catches sight of navy-blue and bright yellow.  _'Kyousuke...'_

He doesn't completely hear what the two Seeds say to each other but he does catch sight of Tsurugi's bewildered expression turning to one of pure rage. ''You bastard!'' hisses the forward furiously. ''Are you for real?!''

Isozaki just smirks in response and Tsurugi's orange orbs narrow. Without hesitation he turns around and lets the ball rest on his outstretched leg, then hitting it with all his force. It's surrounded by blueish black energy, shooting forward. '' **Death Sword!** ''

It flies past Mannouzaka's goalkeeper, who wasn't even paying attention to the game, hitting the goal behind him. ''Goal! W-what is this?! This time, Tsurugi cancels out his own goal to make the score a tie!''

Tenma smiles as the whistle announces the end of the first half.

' _Everything's finally falling into place.'_

Shindou walks forward, staring at the forward in disbelief. ''Tsurugi...'' he says, shocked. ''I thought you said you were going to destroy soccer.''

''I am,'' announces the (ex-)Seed. He turns around and holds up a fist in burning resolve. ''I'll destroy this corrupted soccer with my own hands!''

Shindou seems to get a genius realization but Tenma doesn't let him speak up about it. ''Eh, this is so confusing!'' he comments from where he's still sitting on the ground. His two teammates can't help but look at him. The brunet is staring at the forward with a confused expression, but the captain can make out the mischievous glint in his eyes. ''First you said you were going to destroy soccer, then you said you were going to replace Raimon, then you said you were going to destroy soccer again,  _then_  you said you were going to destroy Raimon and now you're going to destroy corrupted soccer!'' he tilts his head.

Shindou chuckles softly at the slight shift in Tsurugi's expression. Instead of scowling, he now looks the slightest bit surprised at the brunet. ''I... you're annoying,'' he grumbles after a moment of hesitation.

The time traveler grins. ''And you're a pessimist,'' he tells the slightly older boy, who bristles, offended. Then Tenma's smile softens, the look in his eyes changing and easily captivating the (ex-)Seed with the mix of emotions-  _HonestyGratefulnessHappinessReliefWarmthTrust_  -in them. ''But still... thanks.''

Tsurugi nods, slightly overwhelmed. Then he seems to realize what's happening because he mutters a 'tch' and turns around, walking away from the other two.

Tenma watches him leave with a small, knowing smile.  _'Yeah. He's gonna be alright.'_

Raimon's captain pulls him out of his thoughts. ''How long are you going to sit there?'' he asks his junior with a raised eyebrow.

The brunet blinks and tears his eyes away from Tsurugi's retreating form. ''Until my leg's not numb anymore,'' he answers casually, the elder's eyes widening slightly. ''Don't worry about me. Check on Kirino-senpai, I think he took a nasty fall back there.''

Shindou immediately takes his words for granted and walks to Kirino, who has, indeed, injured his ankle again. The time traveler sighs softly, his happy mood from Tsurugi's change of viewpoint being replaced by sadness. Then he shakes his head.  _'No, I shouldn't be sad. Shindou doesn't even really know me right now, of course he'd be more concerned about Kirino-senpai.'_

Shaking off the thoughts, he stands up and walks towards the bench, suppressing a flinch at the sting in his leg. He doesn't need any unwanted attention right now, since there are probably going to be Keshin in the second half.

' _Sometimes I hate my life,'_  he grumbles internally as he sits down on the bench, outwardly looking like he just didn't almost break his leg. He watches quietly as Kurumada, Amagi, Hamano, Hayami and Kurama announce that they're not going to play anymore. Shindou accepts it gracefully, like always.  _'He's a good captain,'_  muses Tenma.  _'I'm actually not sure if I should regret stealing his position... it must not have been easy, to suddenly follow the orders of a first-year.'_

Soon after they're standing on the field again, the five senpai at the sides. Tenma watches as Mannouzaka are amazed at the fact that 'four of them are still hanging on' and then the brunet looks at Shindou. ''You know... I still don't get why we're putting a midfielder as forward and a forward as midfielder,'' he says.

The captain rolls his eyes. ''Tsurugi was being stubborn.''

The brunet raises an eyebrow. ''That still doesn't explain it. I'm stubborn too yet I'm the one playing forward right now,'' he shoots back easily. ''And last time I checked, I was a midfielder.''

Shindou sighs but answers anyway. ''I'm a midfielder too,'' he mutters to himself.

Tenma still catches it and hides a grin. ''You are, but you used to be a forward when you were in the second team, right?''

The game maker blinks and stares at him in slight surprise – definitely less than it would've been if someone else said that, but Tenma still thinks he's too surprised, considering who he's talking to. ''How do you know that?''

' _No, I am not a stalker.'_  The brunet shrugs. ''Easy. I watched a few of Raimon's matches from last year. You were a forward.''

 _Technically_  it's not a lie, since the time traveler  _did_  watch those matches, only in the future. Past. Other... timeline thingy.  _'Jeez, this is confusing.'_

Then the whistle sounds and the second half starts. ''The second half starts with Raimon's kickoff!''

' _Wow, hadn't noticed.'_

Tenma starts to run when someone else suddenly catches up with him. His eyes light up in realization as he sees Tsurugi running next to him. ''Give it to me,'' says the forward. Unfriendly.

The time traveler huffs. ''No.''

The (ex-)Seed glares at him. ''Why not?'' he hisses, again, not very friendly.

The brunet smiles innocently at him as he avoids the forward's attempt to steal the ball from him. ''For starters, you're being incredibly rude, Tsu-chan. Maybe you could just  _ask_  politely? That does wonders, you know,'' he suggest cheekily and Tsurugi's eye twitches. Before the navy-haired striker can retort, however, the brunet turns serious. ''Listen. Mannouzaka's number 10 and their keeper are Seeds as well. They've both got Keshin.''

Tsurugi's eyes widen in surprise before narrowing as he nods. ''How do you know that?'' he asks, yet Tenma can't help but smile internally when the forward doesn't question if his statement is true.

The time traveler shakes his head. ''No time to explain,'' he tells the other, distracted for a moment as he skillfully passes one of the opposing forwards. ''Just be careful. Don't get careless.''

''Like I don't know that,'' snarls the forward in annoyance. ''Now give me the ball.''

The brunet rolls his eyes. ''Jeez, anger issues much?'' the forward's glare intensifies and Tenma sighs exasperatedly. ''Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, I'm sure,'' he mutters and passes the ball to a now positively steaming Tsurugi.

The time traveler sighs as he slows down slightly, trying to come up with a way to avoid any Keshin being used in this match. He's pulled out of his thoughts when Shindou catches up to him. ''What was that all about?''

' _Should I tell Shindou-senpai? He does have a Keshin...'_  the brunet narrows his eyes as he watches Tsurugi skillfully pass Mannouzaka's players. ''The keeper and number 10 both have Keshin,'' he says after a moment of contemplating the idea.

The captain's eyes widen. ''You sure?'' when the first-year nods, the older teen narrows his eyes. ''Got it. Should we warn Sangoku-san?''

Tenma shrugs. ''Well, if you want to run all the way back, be my guest. Otherwise I suppose we might get another chance to tell him, unless we get unlucky and they manage to score with a Keshin before that.''

' _It's kind of a surprise he actually asked and listened to my advice...'_

The time traveler suddenly realizes something and he can barely keep himself from cursing out loud ( _because he has a feeling that Shindou won't like that_ ). Instead he suddenly speeds up, gritting his teeth.  _'Damn it. Tsurugi's fast and my body isn't trained on speed yet. If I want to keep up with him this match, I'll be exhausted before it even ends.'_

Even so, he pushes his legs to move even faster. He can already see Isozaki sharing a look with Mannouzaka's number 10 as he runs to intercept Tsurugi. The moment Tenma sees that, he changes his course sharply, keeping an eye on the two Seeds.

As expected, Isozaki manages to steal the ball from Tsurugi. His eyes then move to number 10. ''Mitsuyoshi!'' he passes the ball to the forward, but just before the pass reaches said forward, Tenma steals the ball out of the air.

He immediately starts running, not allowing himself any relief at his successful attempt to keep Keshin out of the match. It was still a close call, and if he has to spend this whole match running around to avoid situations like that one, it's only the question if Raimon will win.

( _He's not being arrogant here – right now, they have_ five _players and they're all gonna be needed in winning this and/or convincing the others to help._ )

Tenma dribbles absentmindedly, just managing to avoid showing any of his real dribbling skills ( _because he's not stupid enough in letting his opponents know how skilled he really is – they'll probably underestimate him, which is – while annoying – very, very nice in the end_ ) and then passes to Shinsuke.

Shinsuke runs towards the goal, but then suddenly Tsurugi is there to steal the ball from him and Tenma huffs in annoyance.  _'As long as Tsurugi is still being stubborn, this won't get anywhere!'_

The striker moves towards the goal, but both of Mannouzaka's Seeds block him. Tenma is already running forward, easily noticing Mannouzaka's other players surrounding Tsurugi.

Isozaki kicks the ball, harshly, and Tsurugi yelps as he's thrown backwards harshly. He manages to land on his feet but immediately lowers himself to the ground, clutching his stomach. Not even a second later, Mitsuyoshi kicks the ball again, hitting the other boy straight in the chest.

The forward somehow manages to land on his feet again yet Mannouzaka is unstoppable in their kicks. Just as Isozaki kicks the ball again, Tenma slips past the defender that's blocking him and jumps in front of the navy-haired teen.

Without hesitation, he kicks the ball and manages to stop it a few feet from the still kneeling Tsurugi. The time traveler's eyes are filled with cold determination as he stares at Isozaki. Mannouzaka's captain falters as he stares into icy eyes.

 _Bright blue_  eyes.  _Definitely_  not the usual blueish grey.

The captain can swear those eyes are filled with fire, giving them an eerie glow. Even worse is the pure and utter  _ice_  in them, the flames freezing with a cool impassiveness. Isozaki can feel a shiver go down his spine and no matter how much he wants to move, he's frozen in place.

Tenma narrows his eyes and the other swallows nervously. The time traveler is  _furious_. Not a burning, uncontrollable anger, but a calm and collected rage that's so much more dangerous and scary than if he'd lost control of his emotions.

Because right now, he's in complete control of his actions and he will not regret those actions, no matter what they are.

''Listen carefully,'' he hisses, the temperature seemingly dropping by at least ten degrees. Isozaki shivers, unable to look away from the frozen, furious gaze. ''You lay  _one hand_  on my teammates again, and I promise you will  **regret it.**   _Understand?''_

Mannouzaka's captain can only nod and breathes in relief when Tenma's gaze finally leaves him, instead settling on a stunned Tsurugi Kyousuke. His eyes soften slightly, the ice leaving them. ''You okay?''

The navy-haired forward nods, the shock leaving his gaze and being replaced by something else. ''Of course, who do you think I am?'' he says.

Tenma can't help but smile. ''Sorry, my mistake.'' He grins as Tsurugi stands up. ''Come on, we've got a match to win.''

A moment later, said match continues, with Tsurugi taking the ball and charging forward – on his own.  _Again._

And again he is stopped by Mannouzaka's players, leaving Tenma in annoyance at his stubbornness. Until Shindou comes along, sprinting forward. ''Tsurugi, over here!''

The (ex-)Seed glares at him stubbornly.

The captain narrows his eyes and continues. ''Even if you're a Seed, you can't win against a whole team on your own! We want to win as well! If you want to beat them, work with us!''

The forward and the captain have a staring contest for a moment and Tenma can almost  _feel_  his annoyance levels rising. Before he can say something, however, Tsurugi makes a decision and skillfully jumps in the air – narrowly avoiding the sliding that would've stolen the ball from him – and passes to Shindou.

''Don't get the wrong idea!'' yells Tsurugi even as Shindou moves towards the goal. ''I don't consider you a teammate!''

Tenma groans, wondering how those two ever managed to get along. ''Are you two  _always_  fighting?'' he yells even as he runs forward, basically seeing how Shindou rolls his eyes while he passes the ball to the brunet. Said brunet huffs but then his eyes light up in devious mischief. ''Repressed sexual tension much?!'' he yells at the top of his lungs.

The reactions are... interesting, to say the least. Due to the volume at which he shouted, everyone heard it.  _Everyone._  Even the public.

''And Matsukaze seems to be fighting with his teammates!'' yells the commentator and Tenma hides a smile.

''I am not fighting, just stating a fact!'' he yells back, unable to hold his grin back any longer. ''Seriously guys, get a room!''

''Matsukaze Tenma you shut up  _right now!''_  yells Shindou back, and when the brunet glances over his shoulder he can see that the captain is as red as a tomato. ''Don't you have any respect for your upperclassmen?!''

Tenma cackles and doesn't answer because he's currently distracted by two of Mannouzaka's players, using a hissatsu technique involving elephants, and he can distinctly remember that that technique hurt.

So he stops running.

The two defenders – who were trying to squish him between them – are confused, to say the least, when the brunet suddenly isn't running between them anymore.

While the defenders end up messing up the hissatsu technique, the time traveler passes them but is caught off guard by Isozaki, who steals the ball from him. ''Mitsuyoshi!'' he makes a long pass to the Seed.

' _Damnit!'_ Tenma's eyes widen.  _'I'm too far back to stop him!'_

And then he feels the familiar, excruciating pain coursing through his veins as a blueish black cloud takes shape behind the Mannouzaka Seed. The brunet screams soundlessly, falling to his knees because this  _h.u.r.t.s._  so freakishly much.

**P**

**A**

**I**

**N**

The only thing he feels is the agony in his body and black spots fill his vision as he tries to focus on breathing steadily.

He can distinctly hear Mitsuyoshi laugh maniacally at the shocked outcries from Raimon. '' **Conjurer Purim!** '' the Keshin takes form.

Tenma forces his eyes open, supporting himself with shaking arms as he watches the scene unfold. Mitsuyoshi laughs again as the Keshin takes of its hat, a magic box appearing out of purple smoke coming from the hat. '' **Magician's Box!** '' he kicks the ball aggressively and it hits the box, which almost seems to swallow it. A moment alter, the ball is released, surrounded by a dark, purple energy, heading straight to the goal.

The time traveler grasps his shirt above his heart, every heartbeat sending another pulse of agony through him. He hears how Sangoku tries to stop the Keshin shot to no avail, and a moment later the pain numbs slightly. Instead of the acute, crippling stings from before, it's now a dull, constant ache pulsing through his limbs.

''And Mannouzaka scores their second goal!'' the commentator's voice enters his hazy mind, and the brunet forces himself to focus again.

His body still feels weak and only the thought of moving makes him nauseous, but he knows he can't afford to rest any longer. With shaking legs he stands up, his head pounding painfully.

Even so, Tenma straightens and hides his pain between a mask of seriousness, quickly scanning if anyone noticed his little episode this time.

( _Okay, it seems his teammates are_ really _oblivious._ )

Soon after, the match continues and the future captain tries to give it his all, but the numbing ache and exhaustion is clearly making it harder to focus. Despite his effort, Mannouzaka manages to steal the ball from Raimon easily and then focuses on the goal.

Tenma grits his teeth as he uselessly watches Sangoku's attempt at protecting the goal. Mannouzaka is ruthless, shooting again and again until the keeper can only just grab the ball to keep it from landing in the goal, falling on the ground harshly.

''Sangoku-san!'' Shindou grits his teeth, making an attempt to dodge the opponent's player, but to no avail. They're completely blocked off from their goal.

And then another voice echoes over the field and Tenma smiles tiredly.

''Hey, you guys!'' yells Midori at the top of her lungs to the unmoving Raimon players on the sides. ''Don't you feel  _anything_  watching them play? I know you're worried about Fifth Sector and all,'' she continues, ''but aren't these guys your soccer buddies?!''

That seems to shake their resolve. ''You joined the club together, ate together, and you came this far with them around! Those guys are desperately doing everything they can to protect Raimon's soccer! Yet you guys don't feel  _anything?!''_

Tenma smiles softly at her words.  _'Midori-senpai always manages to... encourage us, in her own special way.'_

The game continues with Mannouzaka's kick-off. The ball is immediately passed to their number 10, and Isozaki grins. ''Mitsuyoshi, shoot with your Keshin!'' he orders.

Raimon's time traveler can easily make out the alarmed looks on the faces of the Raimon players –  _all_  the Raimon players.

He sees Sangoku's grim expression even as the keeper spreads his arms and narrows his eyes in resolve. ''I'll stop it no matter what! Even if I fall apart doing so!'' he exclaims, not a trace of doubt in his voice.

Tenma breathes out, hating the feeling of helplessness. There's nothing he can do to stop a Keshin while he's still suffering from his 'episodes', no matter how much he wishes it was different.

Instead of thinking about it any longer, the brunet forces himself to calm down.  _'It's still only 2-1. That's not too bad, but... we're already in the second half. Will we be able to turn the score around before the match ends?'_

Resigning himself to the fact he won't be able to help, the brunet braces himself for the wave of pain that's sure to come.

Mitsuyoshi laughs manically as he throws his arms up, a blackish blue cloud of energy forming behind him. Tenma grits his teeth, already feeling the dull ache turning into crippling stings of agony. He stumbles but tries to stay on his feet as long as possible.

'' **Conjurer Purim!** ''

And then suddenly, another voice is heard over the field. The owner of the voice crosses his arms in front of his face, flames surrounding him that then make place for a cloud of white steam. '' **Dash Train!** '' Kurumada charges forward and Mitsuyoshi's eyes widen in fear and shock as he sees the defender storming in his direction. He screams as he's thrown into the air, Kurumada easily taking the ball.

''K-Kurumada steals the ball!'' the commentator's voice is filled with disbelief.

The defender turns around with a smile when he hears Sangoku's grateful voice saying his name, giving him a nod. Mitsuyoshi struggles to his feet again and Kurumada turns around to face him. ''I'm not letting you guys do whatever you want anymore,'' he says without the slightest hint of doubt. ''I don't care who we're up against! We'll protect our soccer!''

''Hamano, we're going too!'' yells Amagi suddenly, dashing forward.

The other teen rubs the back of his head. ''After what he just said, we can't sit back now,'' he agrees and a confident smile tugs on his lips as he sprints forward.

Hayami freaks out for a moment. ''Eh- wha- you're going?!'' he follows them. ''Then, me too...''

''Let's go, guys!'' Kurumada hits his palm with his fist. ''This is where the  _real_  game starts!''

Raimon agrees as one. ''Yeah!''

Tenma smiles tiredly, the stinging returning to a painful, pulsing ache that exhausts him all the same. Yet his resolve only grows at the enthusiasm shown by his teammates.

' _Finally... Raimon is back in the game.'_

The match resumes and Raimon is on offence for what feels like the first time since the match started. Kurumada currently has the ball, running forward while scanning the surrounding field for his teammates. ''Matsukaze, move!''

Tenma blinks and automatically starts to run faster, fighting off the dizziness in his mind. A moment later the ball is passed to him and he quickly scans the field, trying to keep his composure. Which is, in fact, easier said than done. He's out of breath, his mind is hazy and his whole body hurts with every movement he makes.

One of Mannouzaka's players enters his vision and the brunet forces himself to think, which goes slower than he'd like.  _'Hissatsu is out of the question in my current condition... guess there's only one option.'_

Just when the player reaches him and attempts to steal the ball, the brunet suddenly stops moving and kicks the ball straight into the air. The other teen is taken off guard by the sudden movement and stumbles. The time traveler grins cheekily and with a small jump takes the ball out of the air. The moment his feet hit the ground again he starts running, scanning the field for his teammates.

There. ''Hayami-senpai!'' the older boy easily receives the pass, sprinting forward with a few nice moves. Tenma's grin softens to a smile as he sees how Hayami passes the ball to Hamano, glad to see the teamwork between his (future?) friends.

As one of Mannouzaka's defenders comes closer to Hamano, the Raimon midfielder slams his foot on the ball and a whirlpool emerges from it. The teen grins as he runs on the ball, 'surfing' past the opponent. '' **Surfing Pierrot!** ''

But then Isozaki steals the ball back and for a while both teams try to get a hold of the ball, yet it seems they are evenly matched. Then the ball is passed to Mitsuyoshi but suddenly Amagi slams his fist to the ground, dirt flying up into the air. '' **Viva! The Great Wall of China!** '' the wall rises up beneath him, locking Mannouzaka's forward in a fortress of walls. The Raimon defender laughs manically as the Keshin user loses his footing and falls, the ball rolling away from him.

Stopping just in front of the feet of the only Raimon player that hasn't moved yet.

Isozaki grins as he sees the unmoving form of Raimon's second forward, already dashing towards him. ''Isozaki goes for the ball! But Kurama isn't moving an inch!''

''Over here!'' yells Tsurugi, but the third-year doesn't react.

The forward ignores their shouts of his name, still not moving as Mannouzaka's captain keeps getting closer, a maniac grin spreading on his face.

And then suddenly, the light blue-haired boy moves and kicks the ball to a surprised Tsurugi. The (ex-)Seed shakes of his shock within a second and is already running before anyone else can comprehend what just happened.

Mannouzaka's keeper grins as the navy-haired teen races to the goal. A blueish black cloud of energy rises up behind him, taking form. '' **Machine Soldier Galleus!** '' Tenma gasps and stumbles, clutching his chest at the now familiar agony coursing through his veins.

Tsurugi reacts with equal fierceness as the keeper, his own cloud of energy rising up behind him. He stretches out his arm to the right as the energy takes form. '' **Sword Saint Lancelot!** ''

Surprisingly, the excruciating stings lessen a bit, just enough for Tenma to be able to fight the black spots in his vision as he looks at the scene in front of him. Instead of the cold, agonizing wave of pain from the other Keshin in this match, Lancelot feels almost... warm. Not a burning heat, and while it is almost unnoticeable, the calming energy is still there.

The ball floats in front of the navy-haired teen, glowing a yellowish black, as the forward kicks it with all his strength. '' **Lost Angel!** '' the ball shoots forward, Lancelot following it and stabbing his sword.

The keeper jumps up, pressing his fists together. '' **Guardian Shield!** '' the shield of his Keshin closes, Lancelot's sword hitting it and sending sparks flying from where the two Keshin make contact.

Tenma watches, as always left in slight awe by Lancelot's strength no matter how many times he sees it. As Tsurugi puts more force behind his shot and the keeper responds with equal fierceness, the time traveler grits his teeth and curls in on himself in agony.  _'How long is this going to go on?!'_

After what feels like an eternity of pain, Tsurugi finally gains the upper hand. Galleus' shield is ripped open and the Keshin dissolves with a strike of Lancelot's sword, the ball blasting into the goal.

''Goal! It's a tie!'' exclaims the commentator.

Lancelot dissolves and Tenma stumbles to his feet again, absentmindedly wondering how he managed not to scream once during this entire match.  _'I really need to do something about this...'_

The match resumes, but this time in Raimon's favor. After a few quick and strong passes between the players clad in yellow, Shindou receives the ball and jumps, taking advantage of the fact no Mannouzaka players stand between him and the keeper. '' **Fortissimo!** ''

The blue glowing ball shoots towards the goal and the keeper tries to bring out his Keshin again. However, the blueish black energy dissolves almost immediately and the third goal is made in Raimon's favor.

And then the three whistles sound, announcing the end of the match. Tenma grins and wipes the sweat from his forehead.  _'I feel like I can sleep for the next 24 hours straight...'_  even so, he forces his sore body to work with him for a while longer.

After a few encouraging words from coach Endou, the victors make their way to the changing rooms. Unlike after their match against Tengawara, the mood is light and cheerful as they change out of their uniforms.

Unsurprisingly, Tsurugi leaves within two minutes and while Tenma doesn't want to, he lets the (ex-)Seed go his own way.  _'From now on it depends on Yuuichi-san.'_

The time traveler hides a flinch as he pulls his shirt over his head, changing it for a white t-shirt instead. He turns to face his team and smiles at their enthusiasm. For the first time he came to the past, the changing room is filled with real conversations and jokes.

The brunet glances at Shinsuke next to him and grins when the smaller boy catches his gaze. ''Ramen?'' he suggest, and the future keeper nods immediately.

''Did someone say ramen?'' Shindou's voice comes from the other side of the room, a knowing smile on his face. ''Mind if I tag along again?'' he asks as he slips his shirt over his head.

Tenma and Shinsuke share a look and then grin. ''Not at all. What about you, Sangoku-senpai?'' asks the brunet, glancing at the keeper who nods, grinning himself.

''The first time was interesting, so why not?'' asks the third-year.

Raimon's other members look at them in confusion and Sangoku ( _ever the mother hen_ ) explains. ''After the match against Tengawara, we went for ramen,'' he tells the others, sharing a look with the other three who were there. ''Want to join us?''

They share a few hesitating looks and Kirino looks at his best friend in disbelief. ''You actually went to a ramen stall?''

Shindou freezes and groans when he spots Tenma's cheeky grin. ''Tenma, I blame you for this,'' he mutters and hides his face in his hands. ''I swear, you are horrible.''

Suddenly Hamano blinks. ''Yeah, that reminds me.'' He turns to the time traveler, who raises a curious eyebrow. '''Repressed sexual tension'?''

Shindou looks up so fast he almost seems to be breaking his neck, even as Tenma cackles loudly. The captain turns tomato red again in anger and embarrassment. ''Matsukaze Tenma,  _I swear to god.''_

Unfortunately for the game maker, it only makes the brunet laugh harder. Shindou glares at him murderously and opens his mouth to say something, but Sangoku beats him to it. ''Tenma, why did you say that?'' he inquires, ignoring Hamano who mutters 'shouts' under his breath.

The time traveler stills. Now, how is he supposed to answer this? Then he grins mentally as he suddenly looks at the keeper with big, sparkling, begging eyes. He pouts just the slightest amount, curling in on himself to look smaller. ''I-I'm sorry, senpai,'' he says eventually and Sangoku hesitates because  _god_  why is he looking so  _innocent-_

The keeper gives in after approximately 0.3 seconds. ''Fine,'' he mutters, looking away because he can swear there are  _sparkles_  around the first-year as he beams happily.

''And that's how I was dragged along for ramen,'' says Shindou dryly, putting on the jacket of his training suit. ''Who wants to join us today?''

After a moment of hesitation, Hamano gives in. ''I don't care where we're going, Matsukaze's way too funny and I'm not gonna miss out on anything,'' he declares without hesitation. A moment later, Hayami agrees as well ( _but that's only because Hamano goes._ )

One by one, the other members agree as well and soon after, the whole team is ready to go. Tenma tells them to go ahead and inform their parents where they're going, leaving him alone in the clubroom.

The moment the door closes he crumbles to the floor, clutching his chest and breathing heavily. For a while he can only focus on fighting back the pain and more importantly, his Keshin that is threatening to break to the surface.

He whimpers in pain, clenching his eyes shut as he fights with the out-of-control Keshin energy, agony coursing through his veins.

Eventually the agonizing pressure in his chest dies down, leaving him weak and tired as he tries to catch his breath.  _'God, that hurts.'_

He's shocked out of his thoughts when he feels the weight of a hand on his shoulder. The brunet looks up, his eyes widening in shock and fear when he sees concerned, black eyes staring back at him.

''Tenma...'' 


	9. Chapter 9

 

* * *

**Accidental Reverse Arc 1**

* * *

''Are you okay?''

Tenma flinches back, but the older teen keeps a firm yet gentle grip on his shoulder to make sure he can't break free.

When the brunet doesn't respond, the elder sighs softly and kneels down in front of him so they're both sitting on the ground. He smiles gently yet the worry in his eyes is impossible to miss. ''I know something's wrong with you,'' he says softly. ''And... and I know you probably won't tell me what it is, so I won't ask, but... I'm here for you. I want to help you. Don't hide from me.''

The first-year looks up, startled. ''Sangoku-senpai...''

The keeper smiles kindly at him. ''I knew something was wrong. I've seen you a few times now. At my house, after the match against Tengawara, and just now when the match ended. You've been doing a good job at hiding it, but I know now what to look for.''

When Tenma averts his eyes again, Sangoku sighs softly and pulls back his hand. The first-year doesn't react at first, until the keeper offers him a water bottle. ''Drink.'' The brunet blinks in surprise but then takes it from him.

The silence between them is only broken by the sound of Tenma taking small sips from the bottle. Absentmindedly, the time traveler wonders if the keeper is uncomfortable on the ground, but then pushes it to the back of his mind. There are more pressing matters right now.

Eventually, Sangoku breaks the uneasy silence. ''I won't tell the others.''

Tenma stills, not looking up from the ground but his tense posture easily gives away that he's listening.

The keeper presses on. ''You've been trying to hide it, whatever 'it' is, and I guess I can respect that... Raimon hasn't exactly made you feel welcome before.'' The guilt in his voice is hard to miss. ''But I just want to help you.''

( _And this is the Sangoku Taichi that Tenma knows – the big brother figure for every younger player in the team. The older Sangoku was famous for his ability to figure out whatever was bothering his friends, especially the younger ones. Tenma can easily remember various instances where his worried teammates sent Sangoku to talk with whatever player they were worried about, always coming back with successful results._ )

''I-'' he cuts himself off there. He what? He can deal with it himself, but can he really? Besides, Sangoku has seen him before, too many times to shake it off as a simple moment of weakness.

The brunet tightens his grip on the water bottle, shadowing his eyes behind his bangs. ''It's nothing. You shouldn't concern yourself about me, senpai,'' he whispers finally. ''There's enough to focus on, with Holy Road and Fifth Sector...'' he trails off hesitantly.

Sangoku frowns, worry swimming in his dark eyes. ''Tenma, you are not nothing,'' he protests gently. ''If you have a problem, you shouldn't have to deal with it by yourself.'' Then he smiles. ''And besides, I'm your senpai. It's my duty to help the first-year students, you know?''

Tenma cracks a smile at that.

The keeper's smile widens at the little progress. ''So please tell me honestly... are you okay?'' he repeats in a soft, gentle voice.

The brunet hesitates, uncertainty clear in his eyes – so different from the usual spark of mischief. After a long, tense moment, he lets his gaze fall back to the floor. Sangoku sighs softly in defeat but is surprised when Tenma's voice softly breaks the silence. ''I... I don't know,'' he whispers finally, not believing that he's actually giving in.

( _Because Sangoku always manages to lower his defenses like this, no matter how much he wants to shut the world and reality out._ )

The elder frowns, concern etched on his face as the time traveler continues. ''I want to tell you, I really do, but... you wouldn't believe me anyway.'' Tenma hides his expression by looking down, his bangs shadowing his face. ''But- but I'll be fine. I've had worse.'' He looks up with a smile.

''Tenma...'' Sangoku is clearly not convinced, the worry in his eyes is proof of that. The brunet's smile falters a bit but he doesn't look away again, and the keeper knows he's not going to give in. He sighs quietly. ''Just- just tell me when you're not feeling well, okay? I might be able to help you and keep the team from worrying...''

Raimon's future captain blinks. ''Why would they be worried?'' he asks, genuinely confused. ''I've only been part of the team for what, three weeks?''

The keeper frowns, his thoughts going back to the match. ''I wouldn't be so sure about that...'' he mutters lowly so that the other doesn't hear it. He raises his voice to a more audible level. ''Still, can you promise me that?''

Tenma stays quiet, an unreadable expression on his face as he stares at the elder. Said elder is slightly freaked out by the look in the brunet's eyes and he can almost  _swear_  that there are blue sparks in the grey.

Then the moment is broken as the time traveler slowly nods. ''I promise,'' he says finally and the keeper smiles in relief.

''Good.'' He then stands up, stretching a bit and smiles down at the younger boy. ''Come on, I'm sure the others are waiting.''

Soon after the two meet up with their teammates in front of the entrance of the stadium. ''Mou, what took you guys so long?'' complains Hamano with a small smile. ''We've been waiting for hours!''

Kurama rolls his eyes. ''Stop exaggerating.'' He then turns his glare on the two arrivals, especially the younger. ''But he's right – you're late.'' His tone is accusing and the time traveler knows, without a doubt, that the older player still doesn't like him.

Tenma tightens his grip on his bag slightly but doesn't let the hurt show and instead grins brightly. ''Ah, sorry! I lost my water bottle!'' he lies easily, quickly making his way to Shinsuke as to avoid the keeper who might or might not be suspicious about his ability to make up lies on the spot.

The way to Rairaiken is spend with jokes and light conversations. Soon after, they're sitting at a very long table with their ramen, chatting away again. Tenma is sitting next to Shinsuke and Hamano, the latter because he apparently doesn't want to miss any of the brunet's antics.

They have calmed down slightly, satisfied from the tasty meal, and are currently reviewing the match. Tenma however is zoning out, his mind preoccupied by everything that's currently happening around him.

' _So... coach Endou has become Raimon's coach, Shindou-senpai didn't quit the club, Tsurugi is currently doubting Fifth Sector and hopefully will join Raimon with a little help of Yuuichi-san, Raimon's other members have joined the rebellion... yet the 'real team' part is still a work in progress. They_ do _want to play real soccer, so that's one thing, and I don't think they really hate me anymore. Still, Tsurugi will have to join Raimon otherwise we're still flawed. Furthermore, I have_ no _idea how the trust levels are at this point. We're accepting each other as teammates, but we should become friends as well otherwise we won't be able to play to the best of our abilities. The weak links have been taken care of slightly... Minamisawa has quit, so that's one thing, and Kurama-senpai_ seems _to accept this situation for now. Tsurugi's a work in progress and Shindou-senpai is completely set on defeating Fifth Sector. And then the last thing, which is winning every single match from now on. Which is totally possible, considering we've done it before.'_

His thoughts go back to the match only a few hours earlier.  _'On another note, your individual skills,'_  whispers a voice in his head that sounds suspiciously much like Tsurugi.  _'You can dribble. That's literally everything. Your stamina is not horrible but not enough to last a whole match of intense playing. Your speed and strength are both acceptable at best. You suck at scoring. Lastly, you have no hope of controlling your Keshin energy when it's close to another Keshin, let alone awaken it. In other words, you're going to need to work on_ a lot _of things,'_ says the Tsurugi voice.

' _Oh, has our captain been slacking off?'_ comes another, amused voice that makes Tenma scowl.

' _Shut up, Kariya.'_

The voice laughs.  _'How can I shut up when I'm in your head?'_

Tsurugi-voice returns.  _'You know what this means, right, Tenma?'_ he teases and the brunet pouts slightly.

Another voice speaks the dreaded words.  _'Training, training and training. Literally training every free minute of the day.'_

' _Mou, I know that, Takuto-san!'_ whines Tenma in his head.  _'Wait... why am I even hearing you guys? You're not even here. Have I really gotten to the point that I can imagine what everyone would say if they could see me?'_

Tenma groans as he leans his head in his hands, already feeling a headache coming up.

( _Even in another_ timeline  _his friends still bother him!_ )

Sadly for him, the rest of Raimon noticed.

''Hey, you okay?'' asks a voice next to him and the brunet blinks before looking up, seeing Hamano's raised eyebrow and Raimon's questioning looks.  _'Shoot, I forgot about them.'_

His teammates are still looking at him, so he says the first thing that comes to mind – which is actually the truth.

''The voices won't shut up.''

Shindou then proceeds to choke on his water as the rest of Raimon stares at him in various states of shock, ranging from surprised blinks to full-out gaping. Once the captain's not in danger of dying anymore, he stares at the brunet in disbelief. ''I'm not sure if you're joking or not,'' he states calmly, probably a bit  _too_ calmly.

The time traveler just smiles mysteriously. ''Who knows~''

Sangoku is the only one who doesn't seem surprised, even as the rest of Raimon shares slightly freaked out looks. The keeper looks at him with an expression that Tenma easily recognizes as his 'scolding-face', having seen his less mature teammates be exposed to it many times in the future. ''Tenma, please refrain from freaking out our teammates.''

The brunet mentally grins, taking the challenge. Outwards he just pouts. ''But senpai~'' he whines. ''I don't do it on purpose!''

The older teenager nods slowly. ''Oh, is that so?'' he states calmly, yet everyone can hear he doesn't believe it.

Tenma nods with a perfect poker face. ''Hai. The temptation is just too much to resist.'' His voice is completely serious and doesn't give anything away from his inner amusement.

''Wait, are you messing with us because you think it's fun?'' Kurumada asks slowly, a silent warning in his eyes that tells the brunet he should watch out what his answer is.

The time traveler tilts his head as he thinks about the question. ''Meh~ most of the time I am,'' he admits truthfully and quickly continues at the insulted looks from his teammates. ''But sometimes I am honestly confused, bored, or in any other way tempted to do what I do. And anyway, I've been doing whatever I feel like for years so it's basically become a habit.'' He grins cheekily at the other soccer players. ''Besides, you have to admit that seeing the look on Tsurugi's face when I call him 'Stalker-san' is hilarious. That's basically how everyone else looks as well.''

Raimon seems to accept that answer, but they don't look like they're finished with the conversation yet. ''So you always call Tsurugi Stalker-san,'' says Hamano. ''Do you have any other... nicknames for us?''

The others look curious at his question and Tenma blinks, not having expected it. He stays silent for a while but then points at Shinsuke. ''Bunny.'' The small defender blinks in surprise even as the brunet turns to point at Kirino. ''Mist-senpai.'' He sees how the eyes of Raimon's second and third years widen in shock and smiles mysteriously.

( _Because he's not supposed to know about the defender's mist-based hissatsu techniques, The Mist and Deep Mist, yet, things Kirino has only learned recently which means he hasn't used them in matches yet._ )

Tenma then points to Sangoku. ''San-san.'' More than one member snickers at the wordplay and even the keeper chuckles once he's over his surprise. Lastly the brunet points at Shindou. ''DQE-senpai.''

The captain blinks. ''DQE-senpai?'' he repeats in confusion and the brunet grins. ''What does that even mean?''

The time traveler doesn't immediately answer but his smile suddenly seems all the more devious. ''Oh, just a... title I thought would suit you well,'' he cackles slightly and his teammates share slightly freaked out looks.

Suddenly Kirino's voice makes everyone look at the defender. ''One thing. Why 'Mist'?'' he asks, a bit cautiously. Raimon's older members seem to be curious and slightly suspicious about that as well.

''Because you have the kanji for mist in your name,'' answers Tenma, putting up an innocent front. Just as the second and third-years relax, Tenma continues. ''Why were you so surprised, senpai? Mist doesn't have such a  _deep_  meaning, does it?''

( _Tenma is aware that his teammates might think he's a Seed at the rate he's going, but he honestly can't help it._ )

As Kirino tenses again, the eyes of Raimon's older members immediately snap back to him, barely hidden suspicion in their eyes. ''Is something wrong, senpai?'' Tenma smiles innocently and locks eyes with Kurama. ''Why are you looking at me like I'm a  _snake_ in the grass?''

( _Tenma is also aware that his puns are bad, but the looks on his teammates' faces are priceless._ )

The time traveler easily continues with his act. ''And just when we were getting along!'' he then looks straight at Shindou. ''We  _turned_  over a new leaf and all that, right?''

( _Yes, referring to hissatsu techniques he hasn't seen yet_ [Kurama's Sidewinder and Shindou's Presto Turn] _turns out to be a great way of messing with his teammates' heads._ )

Tenma decides to go in for the killing blow and smiles brightly. ''I mean, I haven't even really talked with most of you. I'm sure you have some nice stories to tell to us first-years. I'm sure you know some amazing players! Maybe even someone from the Italian Pro League!''

Shinsuke is looking at him like he's crazy, but Raimon's other members are silent and tense, obviously suspicious about the not-so-subtle hints he's been dropping.

The time traveler looks completely unfazed and just smiles innocently at the small defender next to him. ''Right, Shinsuke?''

The boy nods, confusing etched on his face. ''Uh... sure?'' he agrees weakly.

Tenma looks at Raimon's other members and finally loses his composure, promptly bursting out laughing. He almost starts crying, because his teammates' expressions are  _hilarious._

After a while he finally calms down and wipes the tears from his eyes. ''Oh my god,'' he chuckles at the confused and wary looks send his way.  _''This_  is the reason I like to mess with people. You should see your own faces.''

The second and third-years share silent glances and Shindou takes the lead in questioning the brunet. ''How did you know all that?''

The time traveler grins cheekily. ''It's a secret~'' he sings.

Shinsuke finally seems to lose his patience. ''Tenma, what is going on?'' he asks, completely confused at the sudden turn.

The brunet grins at him. ''Well, I just managed to freak our senpai out by making them think I'm a spy for Fifth Sector or something,'' he says. Shinsuke scrunches his eyebrows in confusion and the midfielder explains further. ''In everything I said, I managed to use a wordplay on the senpai's hissatsu techniques. Deep Mist for Kirino-senpai, Sidewinder for Kurama-senpai and Presto Turn for Shindou-senpai. Furthermore, I also commented on one of Raimon's players from last year who is currently playing in the Italian Pro League.''

The small defender stares at him for a moment. ''Why?'' he asks, not even shocked like Tenma expected – seems like Shinsuke is already getting used to the time traveler's weird antics.

The brunet's grin grows. ''Their reactions are hilarious,'' he comments with a shrug. ''And I was bored.''

''So... you're not secretly a Seed?'' clarifies Kurumada.

Tenma blinks at him with a perfect poker face. ''I never said that,'' he avoids the question easily.

Shindou, who is sitting opposite of the brunet, sighs, attracting the attention from Raimon's other members. ''I'm quite sure he's just messing with us now,'' he tells Kurumada.

''There's one way to figure it out,'' Tenma chirps and smiles brightly when the others look at him again. ''From all the Seeds we've encountered until now, I've learned something about them. They don't know the meaning of the word fun!''

Shindou groans as he leans his head in his hands. ''God, how are we ever going to survive this year?'' he mutters to himself, Kirino patting his shoulder sympathetically.

The time traveler shrugs. ''You never should've let me play in that first match to begin with,'' he grins.

Sangoku smiles and decides to continue with the conversation. ''Are you liking Raimon so far?'' he asks the two first-years.

Shinsuke nods. ''Hai! Our classmates are very nice and so are the teachers! The homework is a little less fun, but the lessons are interesting and-''

Eventually the conversation returns to their match. ''Can we be sure that Fifth Sector won't shut the club down?'' asks Hayami nervously.

An uncomfortable silence settles between them, which is broken by none other than the resident time traveler. ''Yep,'' he says, not looking up from his ramen.

The other soccer players glance at each other at the confident answer and Shindou raises his eyebrows. ''How can you be so sure?''

Tenma sighs and finally looks up from his meal. ''Well,'' he starts after a moment of thought. ''I already explained before that it wouldn't be easy for Fifth Sector to do anything to us. Since Raimon was second in the Holy Road tournament last year, people will keep their eyes on us. Since we won against Mannouzaka and Tengawara, there will be even more attention focused on us.

''If Fifth Sector forces us to quit, it would make the public suspicious. Technically speaking they could create a fake story, but it would probably be quite unbelievable and coach Endou still has enough influence to make a lot of people doubt it. Same goes for pulling us out of the tournament.

''I also explained about facing us head-on. They can't use a secret team to challenge us because we could refuse their offer to a match and forcing us would seem strange. They can't use one of their known teams because people would wonder why Fifth Sector would send a team like that in the first place.

''Outside of the soccer world they're influential, but they can't go against the authorities so we, and our families, are safe as well.'' As an afterthought, the brunet adds something else. ''Besides, the Holy Emperor is definitely going to try and make an example out of us, so he won't shut down the club anyway.''

Tenma continues eating and easily ignores the stunned looks he's getting. The sweet silence is eventually broken by Amagi's voice. ''How- how are you so sure we'll be used as an example?''

The time traveler stills.

' _Because Gouenji-san wants us to win.'_

Sadly, he can't use the real answer for obvious reasons, so he goes with the second. ''Well, we're starting to get quite influential already. People are looking at Raimon as a beacon of hope for the junior soccer world, partly because of its history. Since our rebellion is wider known than previous attempts, Fifth Sector won't simply make us disappear from the picture. They'll try to use us to instill fear in the other teams because it will have a greater affect than with previous rebellious players. It's basic instinct – rule with fear.''

The brunet plays with his chopsticks as he watches Raimon's expressions, ranging from shock to awe. ''Wha- how do you know all that?'' stammers Kirino.

Tenma's lips curl upwards in amusement yet his eyes are clear and sharp.

''It's called common sense.''

* * *

Tenma watches blankly at the shocked exclamations from his teammates at the news of their new opponents.

Teikoku Academy.

' _The match where Tsurugi officially joined Raimon. After he didn't show up for the first half. Awesome.'_  He wonders if he should try to change the beginning of this match or not.  _'Will there be consequences later if Tsurugi is in the match from the start? He could do the same as he did with Mannouzaka and go against us... if that's the case, he'll become unpredictable. Better to keep things the way they are. Maybe I should call Yuuichi-san, just in case?'_

''We'll have to play with just ten members,'' says Kurama bitterly, pulling Tenma back to the present.

''Well it's not like we played the match against Mannouzaka with only five players or something. Or the match against Tengawara with only three. It's definitely impossible for us to win if we have only  _ten_  players,'' he can't help but mutter sarcastically.

' _Hm... should I call Yuuichi-san or not? How did he figure out Tsurugi was a Seed the first time 'round, anyway? And now that he already knows, will it have any effect on his reaction?'_

''-you even listening?''

The brunet blinks up when Kurama's voice enters his ears. ''Huh?''

The forward rolls his eyes and grumbles something about annoying first-years. ''I was saying that Teikoku is on a whole other level than Mannouzaka and Tengawara.''

The time traveler blinks, uncomprehending. ''Aha.''

Kurama seems a bit... disappointed ( _?_ ) at his lack of reaction. ''Raimon doesn't have any chance at winning.''

Tenma blinks again. ''Yes, and I'm not from Okinawa.'' He raises one eyebrow ( _read: the eyebrow future Taiyou always freaks out over_ ( _and the same eyebrow everyone in the future Raimon team fears_ )). ''Your point being?''

The forward's eye twitches. ''We're gonna get crushed!'' seems like he finally lost his composure. ''It's gonna be the end of us!''

( _Ah, the influences of the Drama Family._ )

At this point, the time traveler is too tired to even care. ''So we don't have any secret super tactics involving, let's say, five players with a name that's actually a really bad pun on the name of our school that  _might_  be able to help us out?''

( _Apparently, staring at Matsukaze Tenma is the new favorite pastime of the Raimon soccer club._ )

''God, can't you ever even  _try_  to be subtle?!'' exclaims Shindou and the brunet can swear there are flames rising up behind him.

''How the hell do you know about that!'' demands Kurama angrily, distrust clear in his gaze. Many of the other players have similar reactions.

Tenma blinks innocently. ''Know about what, senpai?'' he puts up his best confused expression ( _which is really, really convincing because he's had to use it more than he'd like to admit in the past- future- whatever thingy_ ). And apparently it does its job again, because the older students falter slightly. The brunet decides to go for the killing blow and lets his eyes widen, an expression of shock on his face. ''Wait, are you saying we  _actually_  have something like that?!''

The older players hesitate for a long moment but eventually Shindou sits down with a sigh. ''I honestly don't know if you're lying or not.''

Tenma blinks, still faking his confused expression. ''But seriously, we have something like that? Including the bad pun name?''

''I wouldn't call it a bad pun,'' says Kirino eventually. His leg has healed since the match against Mannouzaka two days ago, so he'll be playing in the Raimon-Teikoku match. ''But yes, we do. It's something we came up with when coach Kudou was still around.''

''It's almost impossible to use,'' continues Hamano for him. ''You need a really strong striker who can withstand the power of the ball.''

Silence reigns between the teens for a while, but is eventually broken by Shindou. ''We have to try it. We could blow Teikoku away if we manage to complete it!''

One by one, Raimon's older members agree and Tenma leans back in his seat, contently watching the effects of his not-so-subtle interference.

' _And that's how you stir up a revolution.'_  He hides a smile.  _'Now, time to call the brother of a wolf.'_

* * *

When Raimon heads to the inside field to practice Ultimate Thunder, Tenma easily sneaks away from his teammates and makes his way to the roof. Since it's already after school hours and most students are at home or with their clubs, it's abandoned.

He sits down against the railing, his bag next to him, and grabs his phone. Scrolling through his contact list he stumbles upon the name of none other than Tsurugi's brother and dials the number.

He doesn't have to wait long before the other picks up.  _''Tsurugi Yuuichi speaking.''_

The brunet can't help the small smile on his lips as he answers. ''Hello Yuuichi-san, it's me, Tenma.''

'' _Tenma-kun!''_  Yuuichi sounds surprised but when he continues his voice is warm.  _''Congratulations on winning against Mannouzaka, I saw it on TV. Now, to what do I owe the honor of your call?''_

The time traveler sighs and answers. ''To the fact that your brother hasn't shown up for practice ever since our last match and that we're going to need him in the next one.''

The voice of the older Tsurugi sibling is a lot less cheerful when he answers.  _''I see. Who is your opponent?''_

Tenma looks at the blue sky and the white cotton clouds lazily drifting around. ''Teikoku Academy,'' he answers. ''Since Raimon's not going to win with our current skill level, we're attempting a new hissatsu tactics. It's called Ultimate Thunder.''

'' _Oh? Is it working?''_

The younger boy almost shrugs before remembering the other can't see him and vocally responding. ''They're practicing it now, but it's not going to work,'' he states without a trace of doubt. ''We don't have anyone with the required shoot power who is willing to aid us.''

'' _You mean that Kyousuke could do it.''_  Seems like Yuuichi's realized it.

The brunet hums in confirmation. ''Yep. But he's been skipping practice and from the little interaction I've had with him, he doesn't seem really fired up for it. Combine it with a little common sense and anyone could figure out he's been summoned by the Holy Emperor after our match against Mannouzaka. The Holy Emperor probably blackmailed him by threatening not to pay for your surgery and I think you can figure out the rest yourself.''

Yuuichi sighs.  _''Kyousuke agreed to go against Raimon,''_  he finishes.  _''What can I do to help?''_  while it would be unnoticeable for anyone else, Tenma knows the older Tsurugi sibling and can hear the impatience and longing to help in his voice.

The time traveler carefully chooses his words. ''If I'm right, your brother won't trust himself with stopping Raimon if he's on the field – tempted to play real soccer – and will simply not show up for our match at all,'' he starts slowly.

''He'll... probably go to visit you then,'' continues the brunet. ''To try and convince himself he's doing the right thing. That's where the hard part comes.'' Tenma sighs and runs a hand through his hair, suddenly feeling very tired. ''You'll have to confront him, but you have to wait for the right moment. We both know him and we both know he'll simply go on the defense if the time's not right. Furthermore, Tsu-chan has to play real soccer because he  _wants_  to, not because he's tricked into it.''

The brunet lets his words hang in the air and Yuuichi is silent for a long while.

'' _Kyousuke needs to let go of his guilt and accept it wasn't his fault,''_  whispers the elder eventually, sadness evident in his tone.  _''He needs to see this is not the right way to go about this.''_

Tenma closes his eyes, his heart going out to the younger version of his best friend. Lost. Alone.  _'You've gone through so much on your own, haven't you, Kyousuke?'_  he smiles sadly.  _'Having to deal with your brother's accident when you were only seven. Going through the training of becoming a Seed. Lying to everyone around you and to yourself.'_  Mentally, he once again swears that he'll  _never_ let Kyousuke – the younger  _nor_  the older – be alone ever again.

''Exactly,'' he whispers finally, his voice shaking slightly.

He has a feeling Yuuichi nods before answering.  _''Don't worry, Tenma-kun. I'll handle that. You... you just focus on winning, alright?''_  the tone he uses is a familiar one to the brunet. The elder is worried – not only for his brother, but also for the time traveler himself.

His thoughts are proved true when the young man continues.  _''How about you? Are you okay, Tenma-kun?''_

Tenma smiles ruefully. ''I guess.'' It doesn't sound very convincing.

Yuuichi hears it as well.  _''I already told you. If there's something,_ anything,  _you need to talk about, I'm here to listen.''_

The brunet fights back tears at those words. ''Thanks,'' he manages to whispers finally. ''That- that means a lot to me.''

He can basically hear the smile in Yuuichi's voice.  _''You're welcome. Now, go back to your team and train. I'll handle Kyousuke.''_


End file.
